


Already Over

by burnie-church (CereittanyPrincess15)



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Dubious Consent, Edgeplay, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, First Time, Hand Jobs, Light BDSM, Love Bites, M/M, Mad King Ryan Haywood, Masturbation, Minecraft King AU, Overstimulation, Physical Abuse, Stockholm Syndrome, Suicidal Thoughts, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-17 19:28:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10600662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CereittanyPrincess15/pseuds/burnie-church
Summary: Ray was the king everyone loved until he made a terrible mistake. Now Ryan has the crown and keeps Ray as his ‘pet’, and Ray is forced to accept this new life or die. He hates it and everything about Ryan, plagued with the memories of his past and the guilt of his present, until he finds a way to make the pain disappear.(Originally posted December 26th 2013, as my darling's Christmas gift)(There are only 12 chapters, this fic is now complete, but I can't figure out how to change the question mark to a 12 >< it just won't stick!)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to post this last month, but the editing side of my life got a little too busy and I kept forgetting.  
> I think I got every tag I'll need, I'll be (attempting to) post one chapter a day for 12 days, and if I need to add or even remove tags please let me know <3

The kingdom of the Narvaez family was large and plentiful, sheltered in a forest and happily ruled by its king and queen. The people loved them and their young son, no one having a single doubt that he wouldn’t be as great a ruler as his parents. When the day came that he be crowned and his parents stepped down there was a large celebration in his name, and the prince took on his own personal staff to help him feel more comfortable. He took on four personal assistants: one man just older than him to be his right-hand man, one man to be his warrior, one man to be in charge of the royal affairs, and one man to be in charge of the entire castle.

Together they helped him, staying by his side as he grew from a prince to a king, comforting him when his parents passed away and becoming more and more like his family every day. Everyone loved him more than his parents, which came as a big surprise to him because of his underlying anxieties that he would fail. He couldn’t place the feeling, but he just knew something would go wrong and he’d let everyone down.

His friends assured him that it was just the pressures of being a king getting to him and that everything would be fine, _he_ would be fine.

So he pushed the insecurities aside and ruled to the best of his abilities and then some, creating a very peaceful environment where everyone was happy and adored him, eventually gaining the playful nickname of ‘The Best King’. Shortly after he began hiring new staff to give his people more jobs if they needed them, one of them being a quiet man with grin that always reached his eyes and was more than happy to start tending to the royal cows because that gave him a stability he didn’t have before and guaranteed that he, as a newcomer, would have a home and food.

Four years went by, the kingdom falling into a state of serenity that it had never known before thanks to their easygoing king, problems given to him and coming back resolved, gold distributed evenly so no man was richer than another sans the king, food given to those who had no pigs or chickens to kill to feed their family if animals became scarce, and homes built for every new person who came to live there.

Everything was going along just fine, until the day King Ray made a very grave mistake without even knowing it.

 

Summer was ending and fall was almost upon them, Ray already feeling the chill in the air as he woke up and went to his window. He opened it and looked outside, breathing in and letting out a content sigh as he gazed upon his kingdom, some of his people already up and feeding the animals. He smiled and leaned on the stone sill, looking up at the sky and finding himself thinking about his parents, wondering if they’d be as proud of him as his people were. He was certain they would be.

He closed the window and tiptoed back onto the soft carpet, his toes going numb from being on the cold stone floor for so long. He let the feeling come back as he hastily made his bed, knowing it bothered the chambermaids because it gave them less to do. He grabbed his freshly cleaned clothes and put them on, hurrying because the fire in his fireplace was dying down and he didn’t want to be unclothed for longer than necessary.

As he was pulling on his trousers his right-hand man, Gavin Free, knocked twice before barging in, Ray hopping about as he turned and saw him, his cheeks going red. ‘ _Goddammit_ Gavin I told you to wait before coming in!’ he shouted, tripping and falling backwards onto his bed, Gavin laughing and walking over, opening a leather-bound book as he went.

‘Well Geoff told me to hurry and you take ages to get ready,’ he said with a laugh, sitting down and showing him what Jack had written in his announcement book, Ray’s pants falling back down to his ankles. ‘This is a load of bollocks but Jack says it’s important, so here’s the plans he and Geoff wrote up for today, starting with you picking a cow for the feast tonight and ending with you giving this speech to that King Whatshisface visiting to see if he’d like to trade with us.’

Ray looked at the speech, saw how it expanded over 2 pages and made a noise, Gavin chuckling because he knew how much Ray hated the speeches Geoff and Jack wrote for him when he preferred to speak from his heart. ‘Getting a cow I can do, haven’t spoken to Ryan in a few days anyway, but this… wow, yeah this is a thing. You gotta tell him that this dinner is a little too personal for prepared speeches. If I wanna trade with this guy then I gotta know what he’s about; I don’t wanna bullshit through this and end up getting a bunch of doodoo armour for my guards,’ Ray said with a frown, Gavin giving him a smile and patting him on the back.

‘That’s my X-Ray! Now, other than that you have to help with the decorations of the main hall - yes we already know you want a lot of roses - and you have to tell one of us what you want the cook to make for supper.’ Gavin shut the book and stood, Ray doing the same and noticing that he was standing there trying to look regal with no pants.

‘Oh shit- uh, well the main dish is gunna be beef as far as I know, so just tell him to do something fancy with it, I don’t give a shit. Whatever he makes I’m gunna eat it, and if that’s not gunna be good enough for King Fancypants then fuck him, right?’

Gavin tucked the book under his arm and saluted, repeating his ‘orders’ back before heading out to find the others. Ray pulled up his pants and smiled, wondering how he ever managed to find a guy like Gavin in his kingdom, that guy was one in a million. Well, all his friends were, and he really couldn’t find a way to thank them enough for what they’d done for him.

He chuckled to himself as he finished getting ready, thinking about how it would soon be the five year anniversary of when he’d brought them on board and been crowned, and everyone in the kingdom knew about the big party he was throwing for them _but_ them, and that while he was meeting this king for trading options, he was also having him bring in specially crafted gifts for each of them to try and show how important they were to him.

Gavin would be getting a brand new bow because he knew how much he loved archery, Michael, his warrior, would be getting a new sword laced with diamonds and enchanted to make it stronger, Jack would be getting an entire new set of building supplies from axes to crafting tables and obsidian chests, and Geoff, who had been like a father to him since his had passed, would be getting an entire tower to himself and would be knighted along with the others.

He closed his eyes and tried to hold in his excitement, so ready for this party and ready to show them how much he, at the risk of them teasing him, loved them.

He finished getting ready and made his way to the kitchen to grab an apple before breakfast, saying hello to everyone he passed and reminding the cook to make his friends’ favourite meals for tomorrow night with a wink. He bit into his apple and then headed for the grounds, the crisp air making him wrap his cloak tighter around his shoulders to keep him warm.

Ryan, the royal cow caretaker, was the only one in the kingdom to deal with the animals. His people were able to care for pigs or chickens or wolves or even ocelots if they wished, but only Ray was able to keep cows, and he only had them killed for very special events, and with tonight being one of them – and tomorrow another – he figured it was as good a time as ever to have a chat with Ryan and ask if he wanted to go to the party.

He reached the pens and called out for the man only to receive moos in reply, shrugging and taking the long walk around to Ryan’s little house. He took another bite of apple and knocked, peeking through the window and seeing an empty room, his pet chicken hanging out in its home by the chests and crafting table. Ray figured that Ryan must’ve been out tending to the wheat grown just for the cows and started looking the animals over for the best one to serve to his guests.

The cows looked at him before going back to their business, all of them looking rather plump and well cared for; he made a mental note to tell Ryan he was doing a wonderful job for doing this alone and to ask if he also wanted a gift. As he went to take another bite a certain cow raised its head and walked over, eyeing the apple and making Ray grin. ‘Hey there buddy, do you want this?’ he asked, the cow mooing and stepping forward but waiting for Ray to actually offer it instead of trying to bite it out of his hand. ‘Wow, Ryan’s got these cows really well trained, I’m impressed,’ he chuckled, handing the cow the apple and letting it munch on it.

As he fed it he called over a guard, telling him to have the cow taken to the butcher so it could be prepared and to send Ryan up to the throne room to have a chat when he felt like it, the guard bowing and Ray going down to the gates to tell the guards there something similar concerning the visiting king and his guests. The guard grabbed some wheat and led the cow away from the others, not noticing the name tag with ‘Edgar’ written on it as it caught on the gate and fell to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who left comments so far, this was my first chaptered fic so I'm very glad for its warm welcome to AO3 <3

After his trip to the gate and saying hello again to everyone he passed, Ray bumped into Ryan on the way home and almost toppled over, Ryan grabbing onto him to keep him from falling and apologizing.

‘Ah c’mon now, it was just an accident, no need to say sorry,’ said Ray cheerfully as he straightened himself up, brushing dirt off the bottom of his cloak and ensuring to those around him that he was fine. ‘Oh, and it’s a good thing I caught you! I went down to the cows today and I gotta say they’re looking really great, Ryan. It’s getting really difficult to choose one for my dinner parties,’ he told him, Ryan bowing and Ray repeating from earlier times that he didn’t have to do that, they were friends after all.

‘I’m glad they’re to your liking, my king; I raise them as if they’re my own so it’s good to hear that you think so highly of them. Are you anxious for the neighbouring king’s visit tonight?’

Ray laughed nervously, fixing his cloak and motioning for him to walk with him. ‘A little bit, yeah, but I’m certain it’ll go well. It’s not like I haven’t dealt with trading opportunities before, right?’ They made small talk all the way up to the castle gates, Ray stopping himself and turning back to Ryan to tell him that if a guard approached him and told him to go to the throne room at some point that day to tell him that they already met. ‘You are going to the party tomorrow, I can assume? I mean, you don’t have to go, but I thought I’d get you a gift too because of how well you’re doing around here.’

Ryan seemed flattered and kept his cool, looking over to his house at the far end of the castle and thinking for a moment before saying, ‘If it’s alright with you, my king, I have been meaning to ask if I could keep a cow for myself, just as a pet, because I’ve grown rather attached to him.’ Ray grinned widely because Ryan had never asked for anything for himself before the entire time he had worked there and quickly agreed.

‘Of course! I’ll send someone down to build a separate pen for this cow and you can have whichever one you want.’ Ryan smiled that special smile of his, bowing despite Ray telling him not to and thanking him over and over. Ray waved to him when he ran off, Ryan yelling back that he’d be at the party tomorrow before he went inside and shut the door behind him.

Ryan slid around the corner on the damp grass, calling Edgar’s name and waiting to hear his moo, but instead the other cows just looked at him before wandering to the other end of the pen. He walked up to the fence, calling for Edgar again and when no answer came he unlocked the gate and walked in.

‘Edgar?’ he asked, none of the cows looking his way as he searched for the one that would usually come with a happy moo when he called. His smile gone, Ryan looked around before noticing the name tag on the ground, picking it up and yelling for his cow, his loud tone catching the guard’s attention.

‘Is there a problem?’ Ryan whipped around when he heard his voice, his face showing off his panic as he held out the name tag and tried to get his words to form a sentence.

‘One of my cows was wearing this, did you see the cow that was wearing this tag?’ The guard went for his sword cautiously when he saw how erratic Ryan was getting. ‘Please! Do you know where Edgar is?’

‘King Ray had me bring a cow to the butcher earlier, maybe it fell off of it I don’t know.’

As soon as Ryan heard these words he took off, the guard yelling for him to stop but he ignored him. He ran back through the gate and into the marketplace, making the familiar trip to the butcher’s that was now suddenly painful, praying in his head that there was no way Edgar had been chosen, there were so many other cows, he had just left for a little while he _knew_ he should’ve waited another ten minutes but he needed to buy a new iron hoe for the wheat.

He barged into the butcher’s place, the tag still in his hand, the usually cheery man frowning when he saw the look on Ryan’s face. ‘Did you kill a cow today?’ Ryan asked, completely out of breath, the butcher motioning to the back room and saying that he just did, but it’d be a while before he had it ready to bring back to the castle.

‘Why? Did King Ray want it prepared early?’ the man asked, Ryan ignoring his question and protests as he pushed past him to get to the back room. The strong smell of blood hit him in the face and he felt sick, his eyes refusing to focus as he looked upon the cow being prepared for consumption on the table. The butcher came in and asked what he thought he was doing, Ryan barely hearing him as it hit him that his cow, his one friend, lay dead before him, something in his mind snapping.

He turned around, his smile not reaching his eyes as he said that everything was just fine and that someone else would be around later to pick up the meat, the butcher giving him a wary side glance as he led him to the door and sent him on his way. Ryan didn’t meet anyone’s eye as he slowly walked home, his mind racing as he thought back to what Ray had said.

There was no way he hadn’t seen the tag, Edgar was the only cow with one around his neck, plus he was very friendly and would approach people instead of meander away like the others. Ray had done this on purpose to punish him for something, he must have, and now he was adding insult to injury by offering him any cow but the one he wanted. Plus he was inviting him to the very party where Edgar would be served! How dare he…

He made it back to his small home and locked the door, glancing around and frowning. Ray’s friends got to live in the castle and were getting imported gifts just because they were his friends, while he had to live out in a small room with just a bed, some chests, a crafting table, a furnace and a table. He lived right next to the cows so he knew his place, while everyone else got to wander around freely and goof off like the fools they were, tending to their king who was still just a child. Did he go to war like his father? Did he deserve the crown or did he just wear it and boss everyone around because he could?

Ryan had never felt such hatred towards the man before, thinking himself brainwashed like everyone else that he was a good and kind king when really he was just a kid playing king,  getting everyone to do everything for him and taking what wasn’t his whenever he wanted. He looked out his window and glared up at the castle, knowing that Ray was in there now, decorating the places in roses and tricking everyone into thinking that he was the greatest and cared about them.

Ryan sat down on his bed and stared at Edgar’s name tag, whispering to himself that he’d make them see Ray as the man he truly was…

 

The dinner party went off without a hitch, Ray losing his nervousness once he saw in person how relaxed the king was despite how much older he turned out to be. His kingdom was one that Ray’s father had wanted to trade with, but their personalities had clashed and he’d been denied. But now that Ray was king he wanted to give the trading another chance, and because Ray knew his way around clever words and perfect timing the both of them were quickly at ease and time seemed to pass before it was dinner and everyone was gathered together.

The gifts had come as promised and Ray paid an emerald for each, saying that it was worth the price when even the king denied that much as payment. They were all hidden away until the next night, the trading being agreed on and the king and his company staying the night so they could leave the next morning.

Ray made another mental note to tell Ryan how delicious the cow had been and ask if he needed anything to take care of his new pet.

The next night he gathered everyone around again, Geoff checking with Jack to make sure there was nothing planned when the rest of the castle jumped out and yelled, ‘Surprise!’ Ray came out with four servants in tow, each one carrying a present. Michael swore and Gavin ran for his gift, Jack overwhelmed and Geoff having a drink poured immediately. This time Ray delivered a speech straight from his heart, moving nearly everyone to tears, even Geoff.

He gave them their gifts personally, his heart filled with joy when he saw how grateful they were and gladly accepted a group hug in return. The party lasted almost until dawn, Ray a little upset that Ryan didn’t show up, pushing the thought aside when the dancing began and he was asked to join in.

Nobody held it against them when they ended up sleeping the day away, and no one dared to commit a crime while their king rested. Ryan however, thought it highly unprofessional of a king to do nothing but party and sleep when there were important matters to attend to, matters that he could easily take care of, he thought. He fed the cows a little less that morning.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was supposed to post this the other day but I was out when my reminder came on, and then I wasn't at home yesterday. Almost forgot again today cause I was watching a movie. Hope you guys enjoy cause it's about to go from 1-100 <3

Twenty whole days went by before Ryan decided it was time to teach this so-called king a lesson.

Ray had been out in town again, Michael walking with him with his new sword on his hip just in case. They were talking about silly things, Ryan following behind them and listening for anything he could use against him.

‘-and I know she’s a princess but c’mon, do I really need to marry someone when I’m already king? Sounds like her dad just wants to marry her off so she can be a queen somewhere else and he can keep his kingdom _and_ mine,’ Ray was saying, Michael nodding and looking at the shops they passed.

‘Yeah no I totally got that, like who even does that anymore? I thought that we were too secluded to join kingdoms with anyone anyway, and this guy’s a good map’s distance away!’ Michael replied, stopping them to buy a painted iron necklace depicting a Creeper. ‘Hey, do you think I should get this for Gavin? He’s mad at me because of the other day when I stole all his arrows and hid them right before he had training.’

‘Do you think that’ll help?’

‘Hell no but I can use it against him-’ he began to mock Gavin’s accent, ‘“-Ooh Micool you done hid all my arrows again you did!”’ Ray laughed as Michael then made up a fake response. ‘“Hey, Gavin, remember when I got you that necklace? That’s right, what’ve you gotten me recently? Nothing? So shut your face.”’ He thought to himself for a second before pulling out his bag of gold and asking the merchant for that necklace and a faux diamond one to match.

While Michael was paying Ray finally caught sight of Ryan when he felt someone watching him, grinning and calling him over. ‘Hey Ryan! Haven’t seen you in a while, I’ve been wanting to tell you that the cow for the party was perfect, you took real good care of it,’ he said, Ryan gritting his teeth and forcing a smile. ‘Oh, and how’s that pet of yours doing by the way?’

Ryan’s grin faltered a little as he hid his hands behind his back so that Ray couldn’t see him clench his fists. ‘You mean Edgar? He got sick a while back, and passed away recently.’

Ray’s smile fell. ‘I’m sorry, man; listen, I know it won’t mean much but if you want another cow or anything at all just ask, okay?’ Michael had rejoined his king by now, his pendants tucked away in a little leather bag, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Ryan and immediately felt like something was off about the guy.

Ryan bowed deeply, making sure to keep his eyes on Ray as he did. ‘Thank you my king, but I’ve had my eye on another beast lately. I think I’ll claim him tomorrow if you’ll allow it.’

‘Anything you want is fine, and sorry again about Edgar. C’mon Michael, before Geoff throws a fit at us missing for so long,’ Ray said, Michael mumbling in response and following, not realizing he had gone for his sword until Ryan was out of view.

 

Geoff was indeed mad at Ray for being away from his royal duties for so long, and didn’t let him live it down until the sun had set. On the other hand, Gavin had jumped for joy when Michael presented him with his Creeper necklace and wore it proudly, forgetting all about the arrows until Jack brought it up again over dinner.

That night Ray wished his friends a pleasant sleep before turning in, getting extra cozy because of how cold his room suddenly was. Briefly he felt that old feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong but again pushed it aside, knowing that if something was going to happen it would’ve happened already, so everything was going to be fine.

Little did he know that after he and Michael had said goodbye to Ryan earlier that day the man had gone to the blacksmith and spent all the gold he had, and even a few diamonds, to get the best sword money could possibly buy. He had taken the blade home and inspected it, his grin finally reaching his eyes when he saw how perfect it was. So, now that he had the perfect weapon, he would wait until the entire kingdom had gone to sleep, especially Ray.

Ryan had been festering in his anger ever since that day, tending to his cows less and less until even the guards noticed that they were looking too thin to properly feed the king and his guests. Ryan had brushed the man aside with the false promise of feeding them double and then didn’t feed them at all the next day. His hatred towards Ray had grown to something far beyond personal, knowing that Ray was not fit to be king despite what everyone else believed, knowing that he would be the perfect replacement to rule this pathetic excuse for a kingdom.

Plus, he had thought with a smile, it would be the perfect revenge against him, to take literally everything he had and leave him nothing but his life.

Long after the sun had set and the clock informed him that he had reached the best point between dusk and dawn, Ryan took his sword and headed for the castle, the cows sensing that their caretaker was no longer with them and instead a mad man had taken his place. He was running on adrenaline when he reached the first guard, his sword light in his hands due to many years of backbreaking toil, and before the guard even recognized his face the man was dead.

Ryan resisted the urge to run his finger down the blade and feel the cooling blood beneath his fingertip.

He was quiet, no one hearing him coming until he was upon them, killing everyone in sight as he made his way to Ray’s room. He didn’t know which one it was, but he did know which tower it was in and that it was at the very top of it because he’d seen him up there throwing roses at Gavin while he practiced his archery some mornings. So when he found the tower he went straight up, quickly taking care of the two guards falling asleep outside of Ray’s bedroom and letting himself in.

Ray was blissfully unaware of the crazed murderer standing right beside the bed until his nose began to twitch, the smell of blood making its way into his dream and waking him up. He didn’t notice Ryan because he wasn’t wearing his glasses, and as soon as he put them on and saw the figure standing over him he opened his mouth to scream only to be cut off by a cloth damp with a funny smelling liquid.

And then everything went dark.

 

Ray awoke several hours later, his body freezing and his limbs incredibly stiff. He lifted his head and tried to get adjusted to the dim light, a single lit torch somewhere to his left. From what he could see he was in a stone room that didn’t look like the dungeon, and when he tried to move his hands he found them chained above his head. He then tried to stand, feeling the sudden weight of a shackle around his right ankle, his voice bursting from his throat as his brain brought him up to date: he was a prisoner.

‘Hey! I don’t know what the hell is going on but can someone help me?’ he yelled to the long hallway before him, struggling to get free when there came no answer. ‘Whatever you want we can discuss this, but first can someone let me out?’

A deep chuckle came from the darkness, Ray swallowing and halting his movement when the sound of footsteps reached his ears. He opened his mouth to ask who was there, his voice now refusing to come out due to something he would not admit was fear; he couldn’t afford to be afraid if his kingdom was at risk, no matter what happened to him.

His entire demeanor fell when he placed the voice telling him that he was glad he was awake.

‘Ryan?’

‘Are you comfortable?’

‘What- of course I’m not, now get me out of here!’

Another chuckle, his panic settling back into anger as he realized he’d had enough of this.

‘What the hell are you laughing at? Guards!’ he yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice ringing off the walls and making his ears hurt. Ryan only smiled and walked forward a little more, just barely outside the circle of light, his presence making the room colder than it already was; it was here that Ray finally noticed that he’d been stripped from his nightclothes and was just wearing some thin, leather pants.

‘Now you don’t need to do that. I’ve… gotten rid of the guards, you could say, so even if someone could hear you, no one will come.’

Ray swallowed the lump in his throat, his heart pounding in his chest. ‘What do you mean?’

When Ryan chuckled again, this time a litter more sinister than before, Ray pulled against his chains and attempted to stand despite his body feeling numb from not just the cold. ‘Stop this act at once! I order you to let me go!’ he demanded, Ryan scuffing his shoe against the old cobblestone before speaking.

‘Ah ah ah, that’s no way to speak to your king. What’s the magic word?’

‘What the fuck are you-’ Ray cut himself off when Ryan stepped into the light, his eyes sparkling like Ray had never seen before. He was dressed in his father’s old royal outfit with a kilt in place of his trousers, his crown nestled on his head like it belonged there, a bloody sword in his hand. ‘Ryan... what’s going on?’

‘I figured that you’ve played this charade long enough, so I hereby strip you of your title and give it to someone more deserving: me.’ Ray felt nauseous looking at his smile. ‘And as for you, you said that I could have any beast that I wanted to replace Edgar, and I’m choosing you. I hope you enjoy your new home.’ He motioned to the room, Ray’s breathing starting to quicken as he began to lose his composure.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ At some point he had started to shake and couldn’t stop, Ryan eyeing him down like a piece of meat as he stepped forward and ran his hand over Ray’s cold thigh.

‘I see no bigger beast in this kingdom than you, Ray,’ he said before throwing his head back and laughing a cruel laugh, Ray unable to form words as the older man stood up again and headed back into the darkness. Ray stumbled over his thoughts before calling after Ryan, his demands quickly turning into pleads when he did not return.

He just sat there in fearful silence as Ryan’s footsteps got further and further away, a sliver of light appearing around the far corner hinting at a door possibly at the top of some stairs, before he was left alone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short one today, the next one will be much longer, hope everyone is having a great Easter <3

After the first day Ray found himself used to the cold, but he was certainly not used to being alone for so long. All his life he’d had people around him, waiting on his every need, telling him where to go and what to do for the day, his Tudors and the servants and his parents and eventually his friends, not to mention all the people in the kingdom he’d see every day to make sure they were happy.

Now it was just him, his arms shackled above his head and his entire body numb. He didn’t know what part of the castle he was in, but no matter how hard he listened he couldn’t hear any sounds of human life around him, and it terrified him. The castle had always been filled with sounds of laughter and conversation, so to hear absolutely nothing nearly drove him mad.

Eventually he began to scream just so then the silence was gone, listening to the sounds of his own shattered voice echo off the cobblestone and pretending that there were others around him. He yelled and screamed and made noise until his voice gave out, Ray doubling over to cough uncontrollably until he feared he would be sick. After that he stayed silent, save the soft sound of his sobbing carrying a few feet.

When the door opened and he heard footsteps he almost jumped to his feet, but with them numb and no way to actually stand he only managed to hurt his leg as he waited to see who was coming to him. When the woman entered his little circle of light Ray frowned, trying to place her face but not recognizing her at all. He tried to ask who she was, if she worked in the castle, but only gurgled noises came out before he was coughing again.

The woman kneeled down and shushed him gently, her eyes lifeless and her touch almost as cold as the room. With her that close Ray finally noticed that she had a platter of food for him, nothing as great as his normal meals, but he would take this bowl of flavourless porridge and stale bread over nothing any day; he hadn’t even noticed his hunger and now he felt even sicker with how empty his stomach was.

The woman fed him briefly, Ray assuming that she wasn’t allowed to unchain him for obvious reasons, allowing her to do so and not wasting a single moment asking questions as he got his fill of food and human contact. When he was done and she’d given him some water, he cleared his throat and looked intently at her as she got to her feet.

‘Wait, please, tell me what’s happening out there. Where are my friends, where is my staff, is anyone looking for me?’ he begged to know, the woman giving him a sad look before turning and heading back into the darkness. ‘Wait! I beg of you, please tell me what’s happened to my kingdom!’

Ray could only hang his head when a soft and broken voice whispered back to him, ‘It’s King Ryan’s kingdom now. I’m so sorry.’


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tags are starting to come into play here, so from now on it's going to be a very dark story. If you're into that, I hope you enjoy <3

By the second day Ray was used to the silence, trying to sleep away the hours until his one meal came. He should’ve expected that it would be someone new.

By the third day he could barely feel the pain in his arms from being held up, and when he was let free to rest them he didn’t even try to move, just let himself be fed and went back to sleep.

By the seventh day he was a broken man, numb physically and mentally, so when the approaching footsteps turned out to be Ryan’s he couldn’t even properly react. He gathered up as much energy as he could to ask Ryan what he’d done to his kingdom, and Ryan couldn’t hide the smirk at how weak even his voice was.

‘Don’t worry, everyone is doing fine without you. I’ve dismissed everyone who used to work for you and brought over an entirely new staff from a neighbouring kingdom; you know, the one whose princess you turned down? Her father was all too grateful to see your crown on a new head.’ Ray whimpered to himself, thinking of all his friends living out on the streets because they had nowhere to go. ‘Oh don’t whine, it’s rather unbecoming of you.’ Ray unconsciously bit his lip to keep quiet.

‘And what of my people? Please tell me you’re treating them right.’

‘They’re doing just fine… well, now they are.’ Ray looked up again, Ryan locking eyes with him. ‘There’s a lot less crime in the kingdom with the death penalty in place once more; pity of your father to outlaw it when it’s so effective.’ He began to pace, Ray watching his every move with pained eyes. ‘You’ve been far too easy on them, thinking that kindness and fairness is what rules a kingdom, but you’re wrong.

‘People are just like animals, no matter what anyone says. Sometimes you can train them easily, while others need a little more… persuasion.’

Ray took a breath, his throat tightening. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘I’m just saying, if the cow won’t listen to reason, I see no fault in… whipping it into shape,’ he said, Ray’s cough returning as he doubled over in a fit of sickness.

‘You can’t do that, you can’t treat people like that!’ he yelled, his voice breaking from nearly a week without use, Ryan stomping forward and drawing his sword.

‘Those pitiful creatures out there aren’t people!’ Ray backed up against the wall as Ryan held his sword out so the tip was right before his throat. ‘In this world there are beasts and the men who know how to control them! The cows and their trainers, that’s all there is. I am a trainer, poised at the ready with the whip to make sure everything goes as planned. Everyone else is my animal, ready to do as I say, and now you’ve joined their ranks. You don’t deserve to control them because you were letting them control you.

‘Free food, homes built at no cost, giving them everything they asked because it made them happy. What a fool, not to see that you were being manipulated all this time. Well no more; _I’m_ the one in charge now, and it’s time for you to learn your rightful place: on the ground at my feet.’ Ryan put his sword away but Ray didn’t relax, breathing heavily through his nose as he willed his body to be still. ‘Don’t look at me like that, it’s not your fault that your father trained you to believe such things all your life. If you’ll let me, I’ll teach you the right way.’

Ryan extended his hand out to Ray, waiting for him to take it, but instead Ray only let his head fall to his chest. Ryan scoffed and retracted his hand, kneeling down in front of him and forcing Ray to look at him. Ray tried to move his head away but Ryan tightened his grip on his jaw, Ray choking back a sob and falling limp.

‘Come now, you may not want my lesson today, but in time you will, you’ll see. Would you like to come back upstairs with me? Surely you would prefer my company to this prison, would you not?’ Ray didn’t answer but didn’t shake his head, knowing that he would die if he stayed there any longer, even though he knew he deserved it for letting everything happen without even trying to fight it.

Ryan took his silence as a yes and picked him up, Ray not fighting as he was carried away from his prison. His limbs were still too numb to cling to Ryan for support as they walked down the hall and up the stairs, finding that they lead to a trapdoor. Ryan flipped a switch and there was a loud sound as redstone flared to life and something began to move above them.

When the trapdoor opened and light filled the passage Ray weakly lifted his hand to shield his eyes, Ryan carrying him up and out and into a very familiar room. Ray looked in surprise as the door shut and the bed moved back over it, hiding it from the world once more. They were standing in his bedroom, Ray’s eyes watering unintentionally as he looked around, not seeing a single thing that belonged to him anymore.

Ryan had moved his own belongings into the room and discarded Ray’s own, from the wardrobe that Jack had so carefully crafted for him to the encased rose that his mother had given him as a child, enchanted to live forever. His desk was gone and replaced with a new one, scrolls covering every surface as well as bottles and jars filled with potion ingredients. There were iron bars over his window and his bed sheets and pillows had been replaced, even the rug on the floor was different. It was like there were no traces left behind that this room used to belong to him merely a week ago.

Ryan set him down on the bed, Ray sinking into the mattress and feeling like he was sitting on a cloud compared to the cold stone floor he had gotten used to so quickly. ‘Don’t cause a fuss, I want to bring you to dinner tonight and you need to look presentable,’ Ryan said as he sent a guard to fetch his slave girls, Ray not wanting to go to dinner but wanting at least a chance at a proper meal. When the women came and gently led him to another room to be stripped down and bathed Ray did not fight, allowing them to do what they had to while Ryan prepared himself back in his chamber.

When they were done he was dressed in a somewhat smaller version of his original royal attire, wearing silk shorts instead of pants and just a waistcoat to cover his upper body, his skin now scented with oils so he smelled of roses, a crown of them placed on his head almost to mock him of what he had. He stared at the reflection of himself as the girls finished, one of them sending for a guard to escort him, Ray not breaking eye contact with himself and seeing a completely different person in the mirror.

When the guard came and the girls bid him a soft goodbye, the large man instantly got across how much respect he didn’t have for Ray by grabbing hold of his arm hard enough to bruise the skin and began to drag him down the now unfamiliar halls. Ray could feel his legs again by this point but he still tripped as they walked, the fact that Ryan had stripped the old tapestries and portraits of his family down and replaced them with ones depicting horrible things that were sure to haunt him making him stumble even more.

They reached the large doors leading to the grand hall before Ray could finally hear voices, the sounds of many people enjoying themselves barely muffled by the wood and stone. The guard tightened his grip on Ray and knocked, two men inside opening the doors to reveal the large dinner table packed with food and rowdy people. At the very end there was Ryan, holding a magnificent staff and sitting on Ray’s throne; he tried not to be sick at the sight.

Ryan quickly noticed the two and stood up, tapping his great staff off the stone, the sound telling everyone to be quiet and look his way. Once all eyes were on him he gestured for Ray to be brought forward, the guard taking him over to the king and tossing him to the ground. Ray kneeled, biting back the pain as everyone around him snickered.

‘I present to you, the dethroned king! Look at how he kneels before me, too pathetic to even lift his head and wear his new crown with pride!’ Ryan boomed, everyone lifting their glasses and cheering, Ray gripping the velvet carpet to keep himself grounded. Ryan sat, taking hold of the back of Ray’s waistcoat and pulling him up with ease, Ray clinging to his leg as Ryan leaned in with a devilish grin. ‘And after dinner, I shall deflower him as well, assuring my place as his king.’

The guests hollered and hooted, Ray clenching his teeth as Ryan waved over a servant to bring him a place to sit. He was placed on a wooden stool, everyone looking down on him from their chairs, Ryan on his throne all the more intimidating now. He didn’t dare look up at him, but at the same time didn’t dare look at the table because he knew he’d come off resembling a dog begging for a bone, so instead he stared at the floor with his hands in his lap, ignoring the names and jeers that the others sent his way to see if it would bother him.

As soon as Ryan gave the word everyone began to eat, a woman coming over to fill Ryan’s goblet with wine as he stared Ray down, waiting for him to break. Both were aware of how hungry he was, and it certainly didn’t help with the men nearest to him eating loudly and obnoxiously, all the while offering him some only to eat it in front of him. Ray didn’t know he was licking his lips until he heard Ryan chuckle to himself and he stopped, eyes burning a hole in the ground with how hard he was concentrating.

The dinner seemed to go on forever, Ray’s hands moving from his lap to wrap around his stomach when the hunger began to be too unbearable. Ryan of course took note and held his goblet out to him, Ray frowning at the liquid and shaking his head. ‘Are you sure? It might take the edge off,’ Ryan insisted, Ray considering it for a moment before shaking his head again. He knew all too well the results of drinking, and wanted no part of it whether he was a king or not, despite the temptation. Ryan shrugged and downed the rest of it, his glass getting refilled as soon as he was finished.

Ray swallowed heavily, biting his lip until he tasted blood, a cold sweat coming over him as he started to feel lightheaded. Ryan stopped eating his steak and sighed, taking his napkin and putting his scraps onto it. ‘Here, eat this,’ he said as he handed it to Ray, ignoring the sounds of disapproval from the other guests. Ray lost all composure and began to eat as much as he could from what little he was given, stripping the bones clean of their leftover meat, Ryan smirking at him the entire time. When Ray was finished he couldn’t stop himself from looking up and silently begging for more, Ryan patting his head and giving him the rest of his steak to messily eat over his lap.

Ray had never felt more ashamed of himself in his entire life. He was thankful his parents and friends couldn’t see him.

When the food was eaten and wine and beer by the barrel were brought up to the table, Ray found himself getting insulted every few seconds, Ryan doing nothing about it.

‘Look at how thin he is, you should be kissing the king’s feet for providing you with such a meal!’

‘Have you ever seen a more pathetic creature? And he called himself a king, ha!’

‘I’m surprised you didn’t just kill him like you did everyone else in this horrid castle. If anything he deserves it the most.’

‘Hey, can’t you even look your king in the eye after all he’s done for you? Look at me when I’m talking to you, boy!’

Ray’s attention was finally brought to the guests when a hand struck the side of his face, the shock sending him off his little stool and onto the ground. The man who hit him got to his feet, Ray looking up in fear as he walked over to him with his half full glass, the other men cheering him on, Ryan only watching.

‘Look at him, fellas! Look at how he cowers even before me!’ Ray flinched when the man kicked at him, emptying his glass onto him and laughing when he refused to stand. ‘You’re dirt, do you hear? Without your crown and your soldiers protecting you you’re nothing! It would’ve been better for everyone if you’d just -’

A cold silence fell over the room and Ray cautiously opened his eyes, unaware that he’d closed them when the man raised his fist to strike him again. He looked up to see Ryan with his hand tightly grasping the man’s wrist, an amused smile on his face. ‘Enough,’ was all he said, the man bowing as soon as he was released, Ryan calling over a guard. ‘Please escort him back upstairs and have him cleaned up for me,’ he ordered, the guard scooping Ray up roughly enough for his crown to fall to the floor. ‘Wait,’ he called out, picking up the object and inspecting it, petals coming loose in his hands. ‘I believe you forgot your crown, Your Majesty.’

Ryan threw the crown at Ray, everyone laughing cruelly as he stumbled to grab it, the guard nearly dragging him out and back the way they had come. Ray just walked, staring at the crown and wanting to tear it apart, the petals trailing after them as all he could do was walk and stare.

When they reached the room the women from before were already waiting for him, taking his soaked clothes and cleaning the wine from his skin. One woman took his crown and placed it in a glass case to be taken away somewhere; he didn’t bother to ask. They dressed him in a clean pair of shorts and then he was being taken to Ryan’s room again, the guard telling him not to get any funny ideas before he was left alone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One final reminder that the tags are now in motion, if there's any that I missed and should add please let me know! I hope you're having a great day and you enjoy the chapter <3

Ray looked around for a moment before sitting on the bed, letting everything sink in now that he was somewhere Ryan couldn’t see him. He looked around the room, _his_ room, and could still picture everything where it used to be. He got to his feet and walked over to the window like he would every morning, his hand touching the place where a rose should’ve been waiting, his other hand clinging to the iron bars. He looked out onto his kingdom and saw that no one was outside, and no matter how hard he listened or how close he got to the glass he couldn’t hear the sounds of his people like he used to.

His breathing started to increase as he felt his emotions start to boil over, turning to face the desk and quickly walking over to examine the scrolls left open. New laws, new curfew, higher taxes, only one animal per household, all profits from the marketplace were to go to Ryan instead of the owners- Ray let out a cry and swiped everything off the desk, making a right mess and not realizing just what he’d done until he heard the footsteps.

He was angry, dear _God_ he was angry, and he wanted nothing more than to find a sword and run it right through Ryan’s chest and make him pay for everything, but at the same time he was scared, terrified even, and when the door opened and Ryan walked in and saw the mess he’d made he backed up against the wall in fear. Ryan made a noise of disappointment before walking over and picking everything up, commenting to himself that he’d need to send someone into the Nether to get more netherwart now.

Ray stepped away from him and saw his sword sticking out from under his cloak, his hands itching to grab it and take charge, but he was weak, he would be weak for a good while if he didn’t eat a few good meals and soon, not to mention Ryan had guards just outside the door waiting to kill him if he caused their king any trouble. As if it would even come that far; Ray knew that one wrong move and Ryan could easily overpower him, as if he wasn’t going to do that already as soon as he was done, and knowing this and that he was absolutely powerless to even attempt to try only made him angrier.

Ryan gave Ray a look, not a stern one, but a look nonetheless as he gathered up all the ruined scrolls and brought them over to the door. Ray sat back down on the bed as Ryan handed the scrolls off to one of the guards and politely asked him to take them to his advisor to be rewritten. He also asked for them to keep watch all night and make sure that no one got in or out of his room. The guard bowed and Ryan shut and locked the door, turning on his heel to face Ray, his attention fully on him for the first time since he brought him up from his prison.

‘Sorry about the delay, I could’ve sworn I left those documents on the desk when we left,’ he said casually, Ray trying to think of something to say but ending up with nothing. Ryan took a single step towards him and Ray began to cower, Ryan smirking at his reaction and taking long strides over to the bed. Ray sat up straight and didn’t move a muscle as soon as Ryan was close enough to touch him, but as soon as Ryan lifted a leg to crawl onto the bed he gave in and fell back, wanting to seem stronger than he was to assure that he was a king, but still not wanting Ryan to get any closer.

When his back hit the carved headrest he felt trapped, Ryan almost straddling him as he smiled and ran a hand through Ray’s still damp hair. He touched him with the utmost care, cupping his chin and tilting his head up slightly as he breathed in the scent of the oils still on his skin. ‘You’re just as delicate as the roses,’ he whispered, Ray unable to keep his body from shaking as he forced himself to keep eye contact. ‘You did so well in front of my guests tonight; I know they were a little… beastly with their comments, but what can you expect from animals?’

He trailed his hand down Ray’s neck to his shoulder, his touch becoming even gentler as he ran his fingertips over his bare arm, stopping at his waist. He leaned in, the back of Ray’s head hitting the wood, his eyes wide with fear as he looked from Ryan’s eyes to his mouth, his lips curled up into a grin.

‘If you continue to be a good little pet like tonight, maybe I’ll bring you out for show more often,’ he breathed against his skin, Ray’s anger overpowering his fear as he kicked Ryan off of him and sprinted for the door. Ryan was on his feet much faster than Ray expected, one hand tangling in his hair and pushing him to the right of the door and into the wall, another grabbing his wrist and twisting his arm behind his back. Ryan kept his grip tight as he shoved Ray’s head into the stone, ignoring his cries of pain when he came close to snapping his arm to keep him still. ‘You’re not the king anymore,’ he hissed into Ray’s ear, his calm demeanor completely gone. ‘No one is going to help you or even listen to you if you try to escape; once you leave this room you’re nothing but a wild animal to them, and they won’t hesitate in doing whatever they have to to take you down.

‘I’m doing you a favour by letting you live; I could’ve easily beheaded you like I did everyone else that night but I instead chose to keep you as a pet, and this is how you repay me?’ Ryan twisted Ray’s arm a little higher, Ray standing on his tiptoes to try and help the pain, but he wasn’t afraid, not now. He was too angry to be afraid, and frankly didn’t care if Ryan broke his arm or bashed his head into the wall until he saw red.

‘I’d much rather have died than allow myself to be treated like this,’ he spat, Ryan’s grip loosening as his frown turned back into a grin. He leaned in and brushed his lips against Ray’s neck, almost disappointed when he didn’t react in fear this time.

‘That can be arranged,’ he whispered, and in a single swift movement he swung Ray around and tossed him onto the floor. Ray hissed in pain as his skin scraped against the rug and burned him, checking his arm to see if it was alright. When he looked up again Ryan had drawn his sword and was holding it at the ready, the tip close enough to him that he could see his reflection on the steel. Yet still he was not afraid, not even when he caught Ryan’s eyes and noticed how they flashed with insanity as he opened his mouth to give him an ultimatum: ‘Live forever as my pet, or die. It’s your choice.’

Ray narrowed his eyes, his anger at this man still too strong to let him feel how afraid he was. ‘I’d rather die.’ Ryan raised an eyebrow and thought about his answer for merely a second before he spoke again.

‘Alright then.’

He slashed the sword so fast that Ray heard it cutting through the air before he saw it, the tip of the blade slicing through his skin with ease, Ray screaming in pain as he grabbed onto his upper arm to stop the bleeding as a reflex. He held his arm as tightly as he could, feeling that it was a very shallow wound but not doubting the damage a sword that sharp could do, his anger chipping away to let his fear show again.

‘I’ll ask you once more: live, or die.’ Ray looked up from the blood on his hand and into Ryan’s eyes, seeing how serious he was and knowing that he wouldn’t hesitate to torture him to death if he stuck with his answer and refused to live for him. So, as he internally called himself a coward and wished he were brave enough to die, he glared at Ryan and told him what he wanted to hear: ‘ _Live_.’

Ryan’s grin was large as he sheathed his sword and grabbed Ray by his injured arm, chuckling at the pained noises he made as he lifted him up and back onto the bed. Ray fell back onto the sheets and rolled onto his side in agony as Ryan admired the red on his hand in awe before rubbing it off on a nearby towel. As soon as Ray felt Ryan’s presence on the bed he regretted his decision, being too overwhelmed too fast at what was about to happen.

Ryan had a manic look in his eyes as he towered over him, Ray desperately wishing to disappear amoungst the many blankets and pillows around him as Ryan got closer and closer. He looked at Ray the same way Ray would look over the cows, like he was about to devour him whole, eventually settling on Ray’s neck for the first bite. Ray yelped when Ryan’s teeth bruised his skin, letting go of his arm so he could try and push him off, Ryan not missing a beat and grabbing his wrists so he could pin them above his head.

Ray struggled to get free but he was still too weak, his stomach barely filled and his energy quickly depleting itself the more he moved. Ryan just waited patiently above him, Ray eventually falling still, his breath coming out in heavy pants, their eyes locked with each other. Ryan could almost _feel_ the hatred pouring off of him and he reveled in it, loving that he held such power over this man, no, this _boy_ he once called his king. The very thought of having control over everything that Ray owned and was made his heart pound in his chest, and before he could will himself to take things slow he was crushing his lips against Ray’s.

He tried to gain entrance to his mouth only for Ray to bite down on his lip and hard, Ryan groaning and pulled away as the taste of copper touched his tongue. He looked down at Ray and noticed that even though he knew what he’d done he was not backing down, Ryan giving him props and making a mental note that his mouth was dangerous; he’d have to fix that. He let go of Ray’s wrists long enough to tear a couple strips from one of the sheets, using one to tie his wrists up with and another to gag him to avoid any more unwanted biting.

Ray thrashed around and tried to scream in protest as he was tied and gagged, Ryan flipping him onto his stomach and marveling at the blank canvas that was his body. He ran his hands over the flawless skin of Ray’s bare back and shuddered at how smooth he was, how Ray, as a king waiting for his queen, had never been tainted by sexual acts before. Ryan licked his lips as he made another mental note to fix that as well.

Ryan waited patiently until Ray once again fell still, leaning back and sitting on his legs as he began to undress. He carefully took off each article of clothing and set them aside safely, making sure that when it came to his crown he placed it directly in Ray’s field of vision to mock him. Ray took one look at the gold and the diamonds and the emeralds and shut his eyes, trying to bite back a sob and failing.

As Ryan fully stripped himself down Ray buried his face into a pillow and began to dry sob, his body heaving and shaking every time Ryan touched him, even if it was accidental. When Ryan was finished and could concentrate on Ray he didn’t wait for permission, touching every inch of skin he could, Ray jumping whether it was his shoulders or his lower back or even his arms. He tried to mask it with fear, because he truly was horrified, and he certainly wouldn’t admit it, but after a lifetime of not giving in to pleasure to make sure that his future queen would be the only one to touch him, he couldn’t help but notice how good it felt to be touched by another.

He hadn’t even touched himself, not even once when the nights were long and he craved nothing but release, and god he hated himself for reacting to Ryan’s ministrations when it came to making sure he felt everything, and _damn_ it felt good. Ryan noticed almost immediately when Ray’s squirms to get away started to mold to match what he was doing, and when Ray let out his first whine he smirked and leaned down over him. He ghosted his breath over Ray’s skin, burning into his memory the way Ray tried to stop the noise that left his throat.

‘How does it feel to finally be touched like this?’ he asked softly. Ray didn’t say a word. Ryan chuckled and began to kiss him, leaving quick pecks over his shoulder blades and spine until Ray began to shiver. Seeing that he was almost to the point where he wasn’t even attempting to hide his reactions, Ryan turned Ray’s head to the side and kissed his neck, Ray’s back arching against him when he began to suck on the skin until it turned red.

When Ryan felt the contact he bit down gently, wondering how Ray would react to the rest of him being kissed if just this was enough to get him to move like that. He got on his hands and knees and flipped him back around, making note of the fact that Ray was in fact getting hard and looked rather ashamed of it. He resisted bringing attention to it, going ahead with his plan and moving his mouth to Ray’s clavicles, his reaction just as strong as the first when he shifted underneath Ryan unconsciously to get some contact.

Ray kept his eyes fixed on the wall as Ryan littered his chest and stomach with light marks, kissing all the way down to his thighs and removing his shorts as he did. With Ray fully exposed to him Ryan had to fight himself to keep in control, seeing what he’d done and imagining what he could do nearly driving him wild with desire. He kissed over Ray’s thighs, ignoring his waist completely and noticing with a smirk that Ray seemed to be breathing heavier each time his mouth would stray a little too close to his dick.

Ryan sat up a little and began to rub along Ray’s thighs, his fingertips barely touching the marks he left before reaching back to cup his ass and help him arch off the bed. Ray was still scared but starting to relax with how gentle Ryan was being with him, which, considering what he planned on doing, was exactly what he wanted. It was his personal goal to get Ray to come for the first time, so he was purposely holding back instead of just taking him no matter how much he wanted to. If he just went ahead and got what he wanted then he was certain Ray would spend the night in peril and pain and not enjoy a second of it, and he couldn’t have that at all despite wanting to take him like he took the crown.

So he took his time, teasing Ray endlessly and keeping his touches light and his kisses lighter until the tension was gone and Ray was coming undone underneath him. He was so unused to this kind of pleasure that it was clouding his mind and making him forget, about his friends, about his castle, about his kingdom, about what was happening to him, about _everything_. And when Ray’s mind was completely blank and all he felt was the pleasure he let himself go, his hips moving to find contact, his jaw going slack as he began to openly moan.

When Ryan saw this he felt himself start to grow hard, his hand wrapping around Ray at last and stroking him, Ray arching up and wordlessly begging for more. Ryan held off from touching himself as he moved faster for Ray, his eyes wide and his mouth close to watering as he watched such a powerful figure writhe beneath him. He sped up until it was almost painful for Ray with how hard he was, his pants muffled through the gag as he felt the pleasure pool in his stomach.

As soon as Ryan saw the first beads of pre-come he stopped, Ray falling limp and whining at the loss of contact, his skin feeling like it was on fire. Ryan quickly began to stroke himself, Ray opening his eyes and taking one look before shutting them again in embarrassment. Ryan reached forward with his free hand and gripped Ray’s chin, turning his head so that he could watch him, Ray doing just so. His eyes widened and he felt his skin heat up when Ryan made a noise of pleasure, the sounds of his hand on his skin making Ray’s cock twitch against his stomach.

When Ryan felt he was ready he moved on to Ray, quickly sucking on a couple fingers before leaning in to whisper, ‘Don’t scream too loud.’ With everything that had happened Ray had quite forgotten what Ryan really wanted to do, so as soon as he heard these words it sent him into a panic right before he felt himself be stretched. Ryan had to forcefully hold Ray down as he tried to prepare him, Ray wanting nothing to do with this part despite Ryan’s best efforts to make sure it wasn’t as painful as it honestly could be. But when Ray, in a moment of desperation, lifted a leg free from under the man and kicked his chest in an attempt to get him off, Ryan’s eyes darkened and his motions stilled.

‘Fine.’

He removed himself from Ray to grab the little bottle filled with oil, Ray’s fear returning fully as Ryan uncapped it and began to coat himself with it, making sure that Ray got his share and ignoring the sounds of protest he was making through the gag. Ray’s sounds turned to full on pleas when Ryan showed no signs of backing down, the earlier feelings of pleasure disappearing as he started to go soft in fear.

‘I gave you a chance to do this your way, so now we do it my way,’ Ryan growled, lining himself up with Ray. Ray could only stare up at him with wide eyes before Ryan was taking him, pain enveloping his body as he squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for it to be over. When Ryan remarked on how good he felt Ray found himself crying, tears rolling down his cheeks from not just the pain.

Ryan was no longer gentle, his patience worn thin and his own body craving release and whatever Ray had to offer him. Instead of keeping silent he didn’t hold back a single thing that came to his mind, Ray hating himself more and more with each word that reached his ears. He also didn’t keep a single sound to himself, letting Ray know exactly how much he was enjoying this and how he never wanted to touch anyone else but him.

Ray felt sick every time Ryan moved; god he wanted this to stop, he wanted it to stop so badly he wished he had chosen death and risked the torture because nothing would ever be as bad as this, but as soon as he thought it Ryan shifted ever so slightly and Ray felt his body jolt before he saw stars. He tried to hide the fact that he really felt good for a second there, but Ryan had already noticed and looked down hungrily at him, rolling his hips and licking his lips when Ray reacted again.

The pain started to melt away when Ryan repeated his actions over and over, Ray’s moans from before starting to return as he threw his head back into the pillow and arched against Ryan. He couldn’t stop himself from crying out each time Ryan hit that sweet spot, his eyes rolling back and his body begging for him to stop, to please make it stop because it felt so good and he couldn’t take much more of it. It hurt just enough to keep him from getting fully hard again, Ryan noticing and knowing that Ray wouldn’t be able to get off from just this, so he began to stroke him again, Ray crying out because it was too much it was just too much and the pain was gone and so was he.

He wanted it now, wanted Ryan to touch him until he was forced to beg, wanted Ryan to fuck him until he couldn’t walk and had to be carried to wherever he wanted him, _needed_ to come and needed it to be because of Ryan. He couldn’t stop moving and he couldn’t stop the noises from slipping past the gag, and when Ryan caught on that he was close he grabbed him by the hilt and _squeezed_ , Ray letting out a choked sob as his orgasm backed down. Ryan chuckled and kept moving, Ray looking up at him pathetically as he tried to get him to let him finish, Ryan waiting until Ray’s sobs became more frequent before moving his hand again.

Ray thanked him as the pleasure washed over him, Ryan not letting up until Ray was close again before repeating the process, Ray turning his head to the side and just yelling out unintelligible words. Ryan tortured him a little longer this time, denying him a couple more times and marveling at how good Ray looked like this, his chest heaving, his skin red and slick with sweat. When Ray finally caught his eye he tried to convey how desperate he was for release, Ryan taking pity on him and taking off the gag.

Ray’s mouth fell open and he tried to catch his breath, his tongue darting out to wet his lips before crying out, the noise sounding so sweet to Ryan. If he could put any word to it, he would have to say ‘beautiful’ was the only thing that came close; he murmured it almost to himself as he ran his fingers over Ray’s swollen lips.

‘Please- Ryan _please_ , I’m begging you-’ Ray pleaded, his voice coming out a little hoarse. ‘I can’t- I can’t take this anymore, _please_ let me come.’ Ryan grinned cruelly and leaned forward, holding his hand still but continuing to fuck him as he did.

‘Call me your king and I’ll grant you release,’ he said simply, Ray biting his lip and forcing himself to shake his head. ‘If you insist…’ Ryan continued to move, holding his hand still to keep Ray’s pleasure at bay, making sure to angle his thrusts just right until Ray bit his lip so hard that a small trickle of blood ran over his chin. ‘C’mon Ray, just three words, that’s all you have to say and it’ll be all over,’ Ryan whispered, kissing his neck before licking away the blood, Ray letting out a single pant to catch his breath.

Ray refused to speak, knowing that as soon as he did he’d have officially broken and Ryan would have won, but with Ryan not letting up and his body screaming at him he only held off for so long before the words tumbled out of his mouth, ‘You’remyking…’

Ryan smiled against Ray’s skin. ‘Could you repeat that?’

A pause, followed by a groan. ‘You’re my king…’

Ryan bit a fresh mark into Ray’s skin. ‘I can’t hear you.’ He gave Ray a single tug and relished in the way his voice hitched.

‘ _You’re my king_!’

Ray couldn’t even form a coherent thought as he came, Ryan’s hand quick over him and milking him for all he was worth. Ray’s jaw fell slack and he arched against him as white-hot pleasure tore through him, his cries breaking off into fractured noises as he tried to breathe, his body shaking. When he came down from the high he hurt from overstimulation, and Ryan didn’t hide the smile that told him that he looked so good like that, absolutely broken.

Ryan finished inside of him and Ray let out a whimper, Ryan just waiting before pulling out and taking in the image before him. Ray felt so empty and he curled into himself, Ryan standing and walking surprisingly steadily over to his water basin to clean himself up, leaving Ray to lay there in his own come.

He hated himself, Ray hated himself and he wanted to die, not just because he gave in so easily and fell so far so quick, but because as long as Ryan’s hands were on him he had completely forgotten about everything but the pleasure.

And he craved more.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ray starts to get a little adjusted to his new life, but that does't mean he's happy with the turn it's taken. I hope you guys enjoy <3

The day after Ray woke up alone, Ryan already up and tending to his kingly duties; well, at least he was focused. Ray tried to move and immediately felt the pain, hissing as he sank back into the soft sheets and wrapped himself up. He lay still for a solid ten minutes before he forced himself to get up, pulling the blankets back and looking at himself.

He was obviously still nude, although now instead of surprisingly pale skin he saw the endless amount of marks Ryan had left on him. He was littered with reds and purples and bites and scratches and bruises, and just by looking at them he was able to recall so clearly what had happened, what he had done, what he had allowed to Ryan to do.

What he had said.

Ray turned his head into the pillow, the hatred he had felt the night before returning as he internally cursed himself. How could have done that? How weak was he to come undone quite literally in Ryan’s hand, to beg _him_ when the crown rightfully belonged to him? He stopped thinking about it before he made himself sick, sitting up painfully to look around for any means of escape when he noticed the bowl of fruit on the nightstand in place of where Ryan had set the crown.

As soon as he saw the food his stomach growled, Ray not caring if it was meant for Ryan or himself as he crawled on his hands and knees and began to eat. He was making a complete mess and he had thought that dinner had been bad, but now with no one around to see him he was acting just like an animal, eating everything he could get his hands on and filling his empty stomach. When the food was gone and only the inedibles remained Ray got to his feet, testing out his legs and waiting until he was certain he could stand before wrapping a sheet around himself and heading over to the window.

The day outside was dismal and he was surprised to see that the sun, however hidden by the clouds as it was, was already high in the sky. He checked the clock hanging by the desk and saw that he had managed to sleep half the day away, something he had never been able to do before. Upon further inspection of the desk itself he saw that Ryan’s scrolls had been replaced and he had been up late working to finish them; Ray hadn’t even noticed because he had fallen asleep so quickly last night.

He resisted the urge to destroy Ryan’s possessions again, suspecting that there were guards outside the door anyway and the last thing he wanted was to draw their attention. As he inspected he didn’t hear the door open until the sound of halting footsteps made him spin around, mirroring the night before with less anger but the same amount of tension. Ryan stood there with a plate of food in his hands, an unamused eyebrow raised as he looked from Ray to his desk.

‘Please don’t destroy those too, Brandon was up half the night rewriting them for me so I could have them finished for the meeting this afternoon,’ he said, Ray taking a few careful steps towards him. Ryan set the plate down and picked up his scrolls, calling in a guard and handing them to him, ‘Bring these to Matt and tell him that I’ll be down in a moment.’ The guard bowed and left, shutting the door behind him.

With the two of them alone again and Ray incredibly aware of just the thin sheet around his shoulders he clutched it a little tighter to himself. Ryan chuckled and nudged it down a little, exposing a shoulder and the bruises on it. Ray pulled it back up, only his head poking out from under the red satin, his eyes trained on the floor. Ryan made a noise and guided him over to the desk chair, helping him to sit and handing him a fork.

‘Go on, I brought this up for you,’ he cooed, Ray taking the fork and eyeing the plate before bringing a bit of chicken to his mouth. ‘Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare waste poison on a good meal; if I’d wanted to kill you I’d have done it while you were asleep.’ This did nothing to reassure Ray but now that he was certain this wouldn’t be his last meal, at least by poison, he began to eat as fast as he could; had chicken always tasted this sublime? ‘And your body belongs to me now, so you can stop being so shy.’

Ray paused as Ryan gently removed the sheet from around his shoulders, letting it slip off of him and the chair and onto the floor. Ryan took in his masterpiece and murmured something about beauty, Ray getting back to eating, although this time he held himself back and ate with a bit of dignity. As he ate Ryan walked over to the empty fruit bowl and noticed the mess, snickering to himself and calling in someone to clean it up. Ray ate a little faster, grabbing his blanket and wrapping it back around himself as a woman came in to take the dishes and tidy.

Ryan walked up behind him and put an arm around his shoulder, his lips brushing against the shell of his ear. ‘She’s not going to mind, in fact you should be proud of your body; it’s not every day someone gets ravished by a king the way you were,’ he whispered, Ray swallowing and feeling kind of lightheaded. The woman finished as quickly as she could and left with a bow, Ray sitting back on the bed and trying to look anywhere but at Ryan. When he sat down next to him Ray started to move on his own, Ryan holding him in place and kissing his neck softly, a grin on his lips as he felt Ray’s body react. ‘I want you to join me for dinner again tonight. I’ve informed my guests that they are not to treat you the way they did last night, and you’ll even get a proper seat. Will you dine with me?’

Ray frowned, a realization hitting him as he pushed Ryan off and stood. ‘Is that why I’m not locked up? Or why you actually fed me today? So I would get all buttered up and let those idiots insult me and see what you’ve done to me?’ he snapped, Ryan still calm as he remained on the bed.

‘Apparently you’ve been trained to think that any form of kindness is really a bribe. Can I not treat my pet to a good meal and let him walk around freely without it being considered a false act of affection? It is true that I want to show you off to them, but that is merely because of how beautiful you look when you’re mine,’ Ryan said, Ray feeling rage not only because he was right but because Ryan couldn’t possibly mean to treat him well when he was only a pet in his eyes. ‘I will not order you to spend the night with me, but if you refuse I will have to put you back in The Hole to make certain you don’t try and escape.’

Ryan’s expression told Ray that he was completely serious, and even though he never wanted to go back in that place again he would rather be down there than sit through another night of ridicule from those fools Ryan called his guests, especially when he looked the way he did. So, he straightened up and dropped the sheet to the floor, Ryan staring him down as he spoke. ‘I’d prefer to spend the night in The Hole than with you, _my king_.’ He made sure to hiss out the title through his teeth, Ryan standing and tossing him his shorts.

‘If you insist,’ he said shortly, Ray putting the shorts on as Ryan found the hidden lever revealing the trapdoor. Ray hadn’t expected Ryan to lock him away so fast but he kept his mouth shut, following him down into the cold darkness and allowing him to chain his wrists back up, because now he knew about the lever on the inside as well and couldn’t be risked with attempting escape once Ryan had left him alone. Ryan didn’t say goodbye as he left, Ray wishing he at least had a blanket or something as the cold started to seep back into his bones.

Because he had already spent a week in his prison Ray knew exactly how to combat the time, but compared to how he had felt the night before with Ryan, his mind quickly began to wander to things he hadn’t known about the first time around. He thought about his people, what Ryan had done and was doing to them, how many people had died because they worked for him, how his friends were living on the streets and probably treated like criminals because of their association with him.

He thought about being with Ryan, how in those moments together he had pushed aside such thoughts because all there was was Ryan and the pleasure, so he tried to recall it in place of him letting everyone down. The insults from the guests sank into his memories, Ray’s head starting to pound the more he thought and the more he tried to ignore them. If he could just focus on that same pleasure he’d be free until he could sleep, but with his hands of no use to him and the whispers in his mind echoing off the stone he started to cry out, softly at first and very much against his will, but soon he was full on shouting.

He called out Ryan’s name for who knew how long, hoping his voice would travel up through the prison and into the room, the thoughts overpowering him until he was screaming like a mad man and begging him to let him go. When his voice finally gave out and he was left alone to suffer in his knowledge of what was currently going on the trapdoor finally opened, Ray fighting to stifle his sobs as Ryan approached him and watched him let it out. With his voice cracking with every word and his body shaking, Ryan took pity on him and unlocked his shackles, taking him back upstairs and tossing him his outfit as soon as the bed was back in place.

‘You’re coming to dinner tonight. Be ready in half an hour,’ he said briskly, Ray sniffling and getting dressed. When he was offered his rose crown he put it on himself, noting the fresh flowers and making sure to rub his flawed skin with the rose oil to please Ryan. He had calmed down with the distractions of being free again, or as free as he was going to get, and he almost welcomed the guard who escorted him to the Grand Hall, although he would never admit it.

When he stepped inside everyone turned to face him, Ryan standing and waiting for him to sit, Ray dropping down to one knee briefly at Ryan’s feet before sitting down at the chair next to him. Everyone almost immediately took notice of the marks on his skin, the insults from the night before resurfacing, although Ray didn’t care; as long as he concentrated on their words he wouldn’t have to concentrate on himself.

Ray got his own plate and was allowed to eat as much as he wanted that night, taking his time and savouring every bite. He pretended like he didn’t notice the looks everyone gave him throughout the meal, and when he was dismissed to wait upstairs, this time Ray didn’t throw a tantrum and waited for Ryan to return. As soon as Ryan saw Ray on the bed with his waistcoat unbuttoned and his legs open a little too much to be casual he pounced, finding a previous mark and biting back down on it.

Ray didn’t let Ryan kiss him but he didn’t fight him off, his mind swimming and all his worries disappearing again as Ryan and the pleasure of being touched became the only things in his world. He knew that as soon as it was over and he was left alone with his thoughts he would hate himself all over again, but for now it was just the two of them, and Ray made sure not to hold back any noises when Ryan removed his clothes and trailed his kisses down his chest to his stomach, and a little further south.

He ended up ‘distracted’ until he fell asleep in Ryan’s arms.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is having a good 4/20 ;) enjoy <3

Ray was surprised when he woke up the next day a little earlier and saw Ryan sitting at his desk and mixing together a potion that he wasn’t filled with disgust at him or himself. He was sore, he would not deny that he was, but the pain felt somewhat good and he couldn’t place why. He got out of bed a little easier, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl and walking over to Ryan, letting him know of his presence as he bit into the fruit and offered him a bite as well. Ryan gave Ray’s arm a little tug so that he was leaning onto his back, his arms draped over his shoulders, and after chuckling he took a bite and went back to mixing.

Ray stayed in the room the entire day, going from the window to lying in bed. Eventually he started to tidy everything up, Ryan showing up with lunch again and looking rather amusedly at what he’d done. ‘Why couldn’t you have done _that_ the first night instead of destroy half of my things?’ he asked, Ray shrugging and helping himself what Ryan had brought.

Ray was dressed for dinner before Ryan was, the both of them walking together but Ryan still waiting until Ray was sat before sitting down himself. The jokes had died down a little but a fair few still tried to keep him in his place, Ray feeding on their words as well as the feast. When he found himself talking back to everyone’s surprise Ryan merely laughed, his guests insulted and Ray smirking at the looks on their faces.

Ray started everything that night, practically dragging Ryan onto the bed and reveling in the way Ryan looked at him. He was getting better at forgetting, and he no longer hated himself for acting this way. He did whatever Ryan asked of him, and when Ryan asked that Ray pleasure himself he sat back and did just so, Ryan drinking in the sight hungrily while Ray’s mind cleared itself of every worry.

Over the rest of the week Ray got his strength back, eating properly and getting a rather good workout with Ryan, as it were. He didn’t wear his new crown with pride but he didn’t despise what it stood for anymore, taking good care of each new one that he received. With each one that became too dried out to wear he’d take it apart and line the windowsill with it, only doing so for as long as he could before the guilt would start to take over again.

On the nights where Ryan would work him until he literally passed out at the end, Ray would sleep with ease, Ryan waking him up with lunch the next day. But a couple times Ray had managed to fall asleep a little later than usual, the distractions not enough and his memories keeping him awake for as long as they could. One particular night he awoke with a start, thinking it all a bad dream.

He had felt his sheets and held them close, whispering to himself that it was fine, everything was fine, his friends were still in the castle and Ryan was still out tending to the cows, but then he’d shifted and felt the aches from earlier that night, his eyes adjusting and seeing the bruises. Finally he’d feel Ryan’s arm around his waist, keeping him close and holding their bodies almost flush together, and Ray felt himself overwhelmed. He cried himself back to sleep that night and refused food the next day.

It took Ray an entire week to come to terms with his ‘addiction’, if he’d go as far as to call it that. He’d known what he was doing when he’d lay with Ryan, and it didn’t help that it felt good and that in itself was a constant craving, but he didn’t become aware that he was becoming dependant on the sex until one particular morning.

He walked over to the window, more tired and worn out than usual and not thinking straight. He looked at the clothes waiting on the dresser at the foot of the bed and assumed they were for him, walking past them and heading over to the window. In his haze he reached past the bars and unlocked the window, grabbing one of the dead roses and tossing it down to the ground below where Gavin would be practicing his archery. The dead petals easily broke off from the flower and scattered, someone from the market noticing a stray petal that had fallen the furthest due to the wind and looking up to the castle in shock.

As she pointed to the window Ray came back to his senses, closing and locking it again, a pain in his chest and his head pounding. The look on the woman’s face, even from so far away, had been so hopeful that her king was still around and not dead like he was probably rumoured to be to keep them from looking for him. At thinking about it Ray found himself staggering over to Ryan and hugging him, Ryan stopping what he was doing to sit in a rather surprised silence.

He hurt, he absolutely hurt now and it was so early but he already couldn’t take it, Ray fumbling with Ryan’s dressing gown and trying desperately to get at his skin. Ryan sighed and stood, leading Ray over to the bed and indulging in his early morning desires, not knowing that Ray was only doing this to numb the pain, even if it was only for a little while. With Ryan’s hands on him and his head thrown back in pleasure and his body shaking beyond his control he could forget what Ryan had been doing to his peaceful kingdom and just ride the high until there was nothing left and he could distract himself again.

And as soon as he came to terms with his undying need for his fix he became just what Ryan wanted him to be: a trained animal. If Ryan even looked at him a certain way he’d be on his knees waiting, his heart pounding and wanting to do anything for him. Soon he didn’t even need to think about his kingdom to want his fix, just craving it and Ryan and everything that came with him. More than enough times he’d walk over and trail his hands over Ryan’s chest when he worked, running his nails over the material of whatever he was wearing and keening in his ear until Ryan would stop working and take him.

The guilt started to work itself from his mind and ultimately free yet him damn him at the same time, turning him into someone he wasn’t and taking him further and further from the man he used to be. He knew that if his family or friends could see him now they’d be ashamed of him, but all he had to do was get Ryan’s attention and he’d forget that fact soon enough. His body became a colourful canvas, the portraits Ryan would paint on his skin constantly changing as old marks healed and new ones appeared with each day or night.

More than a couple times Ray would find himself awake around the same time as Ryan, just watching him lazily from the bed as he got dressed until he found himself rubbing his waist into the blankets, his face starting to heat up. He got to his feet and pressed his still naked body against Ryan’s freshly clothed one, wordlessly begging for him. Ryan spun Ray around him until he was pressed into the wall, his warm face on the cold stone and Ryan holding him in place.

‘I’ve never seen an animal in such a constant state of heat,’ Ryan whispered, wrapping a hand around Ray’s cock and starting to slowly stroke him. ‘I’ve never even such a needy little slut act this way so early.’ Ryan grinded against Ray, making his skin sensitive with the texture of his royal attire pressing so hard against him.

Ray breathed against the stone and arched back into him, Ryan murmuring how he would like to see Ray act this way in front of his guests one night, how he would like everyone to watch while he took him, how Ray would probably let him because he needed his cock that badly. The very thought of it drove Ray wild and soon enough he was coming undone again, Ryan washing off his hand before continuing to get ready, Ray leaning against the wall for support and ignoring the fact that his old cloak looked particularly nice on Ryan that morning.

When Ray realized that the anniversary of his crowning was approaching he became more desperate, the thoughts unable to be warded off so easily by a quick handjob or Ryan grinding against him. He began to beg Ryan for attention until it became annoying, Ryan aware of the arriving date and how the kingdom was heading for a bit of an uproar concerning those who missed their old king. He was under more stress than usual to keep his type of peace and the last thing he needed was Ray trying to sit on his lap or expose himself in a way that was usually tempting but was now infuriating.

After two days of Ray’s constant pleading Ryan lost it, standing so fast that Ray and his chair toppled back onto the floor. Ryan lifted Ray up and borderline tossed him onto the bed, Ray actually a little scared because he knew that look; that was the look that gave Ryan his nickname, the one the staff would whisper when Ryan went into a rage like this. This was the look of the Mad King, and right now his attention was solely focused on him.

‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I promise I won’t do this again,’ Ray tried to plead, Ryan grabbing onto Ray’s shirt and tearing it off, throwing the ripped fabric in his hand onto the floor. ‘Ryan I’m sorry please don’t do this-’ Ray was cut off as Ryan roughly removed Ray’s pants, leaving him to back away to the other side of the bed and try and cover himself with the blankets.

‘Oh no, you wanted this, so you’re going to get it,’ Ryan growled, getting onto the bed and pulling Ray with a new strength underneath him. Ray continued to plead, his words jumbling together as he apologized for bothering him and that he really didn’t want anything, but Ryan was past listening by this point; if Ray wanted release, by God he’d get it.

Ryan began to stroke Ray at once, Ray biting back a cry as his body began to react and he tried to get himself to calm down even though he knew this wasn’t going to end well. Ryan wordlessly worked on him, Ray gladly anticipating release when Ryan stopped, taking his hand off him completely and smirking when Ray actually began to whine. Ray reached for his waist, thinking that Ryan wanted him to do it himself, but instead found his hands being held at his sides. Ray looked up to watch as Ryan licked his lips and watched Ray’s body convulse as he was denied just like their first night together.

‘Ryan please, anything but this, I won’t bother you again just please don’t put me through this again,’ he begged, Ryan shaking his head and waiting before stroking him again. Ray closed his eyes tightly because he knew Ryan by now, he knew that he took pleasure in watching him writhe, and sure enough his hand was gone and Ray had to bite his tongue because begging would be of no use tonight. Ryan brought him to the brink several more times before he finally let Ray come, and Ray breathed out heavily and praised him, thanking him over and over as Ryan helped him through it, but when he was finished and Ryan kept going the worry started to settle in.

He was beyond oversensitive by this point, and when Ray caught on that Ryan was going to make him come again his body began to scream at him even louder than it had when denial was his only problem. He was barely able to breathe out that it hurt before he was coming again, Ryan taking his hand away and licking it clean, Ray weakly apologizing as he tried to catch his breath. But Ryan was not done and made it known as he lifted Ray’s right leg up and rested it on his shoulder, Ray looking up just as Ryan put two fingers inside him and began to stretch him.

Ray had forgotten how to speak, his mouth open but no words coming out as Ryan sought out his prostate and relentlessly rubbed against the bundle of nerves. Ray’s legs twitched and he grabbed onto the blankets so tightly that his knuckles turned white, his back arched off the bed as Ryan brought him close once more. When he finally did he saw stars explode behind his eyes, Ryan removing his fingers to grab the oil, Ray weakly looking up at him as he tried to get his mouth to work.

Before he could get a single word out he was being filled, his every nerve on fire and Ryan not holding back. Ray knew that he could say nothing to stop him, taking it and smiling pathetically when he realized he’d forgotten why he was so worried in the first place. A tear rolled down his cheek as Ryan helped him finish, neither of them surprised when he had nothing left to give. Instead of coming inside him Ryan opted to pull out and jerk himself off, Ray closing his eyes and just laying back as Ryan added to the mess already on his stomach and chest.

‘Never interrupt me when I’m working again,’ Ryan told him before getting up, Ray whispering that he wouldn’t and Ryan ordering him to clean himself off before he stained the sheets. Ryan didn’t touch him at all for four days after that. Ray spent his anniversary in bed; he didn’t go to dinner that night. No one asked where he was.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ray starts to lose touch with reality, and not in the way he wants. Hope you all enjoy <3

The next week went by like an agonizing blur, Ray forbidden to touch himself as part of his punishment, Ryan not even holding him when they slept. Ryan never took him up on the idea of exposing Ray to his guests at dinner, but after 4 days and nothing but the thoughts running around in his head and slowly breaking him down Ray would’ve gladly let him do it as long as he could forget. The guests seemed to sense his inner turmoil because their words became crueler, Ryan drinking to each insult and Ray losing his appetite more than a few times.

When Ryan finally touched him again on the fifth day Ray had to visibly hold himself back to refrain from asking for a repeat performance of four nights before, preferring the pain over the memories. As he lie in bed that night he purposely made sure that he was pressed against Ryan, drowning in his heat and letting the feeling of utter content wash over him.

Ray returned to dinner the next night and didn’t take anything from anyone, insulting whoever dared speak to him to Ryan’s amusement. It almost became a competition of words, Ray’s responses quick and often a lot more clever than the others. He wasn’t sure if he was respected or despised for talking back, but he really didn’t care. As long as he had Ryan, these idiots and what they thought didn’t matter.

Nothing mattered but Ryan’s touch to keep the memories at bay.

Ray became more careful with his desires, leaving Ryan to work and not pushing his luck. Silently making himself come to the fantasies of what he wanted Ryan to do wasn’t always as good as the real thing, but more often than not he would be able to ask to bring them to life sooner or later, so it became enough. Just as long as he could forget he didn’t care if it was by his hand or Ryan’s he started to rationalize.

 

It was an entire month later before Ray felt the loneliness start to take over his desire and guilt. He had been lying in bed and playing with the sheets half awake when someone had come to the door, knocking briefly before walking in with a book and looking hurried. Their voice had been muffled due to his sleepiness and in his tired state he’d been brought back to his old life, crawling out of bed and stumbling over.

‘Yeah yeah Gavin I got it, tell Geoff I’ll be right down,’ he muttered, Ryan turning to face him from his desk, the man looking shocked when Ray actually spoke to him when he never spoke to anyone but Ryan and his dinner guests.

‘Ray?’ Ryan asked, Ray instantly waking up and snapping back to the present. He was holding his old cloak and had been preparing to put it on, no one speaking as his hands began to tremble. He put it down and quietly apologized, crawling back into bed and wrapping himself up with as many blankets as he could to hide his shame.

Ryan waited until the man had left before sitting down next to Ray, his hand hovering over the blankets before dropping back to his lap. Ray could feel the bed sink under his weight but still pretended like he didn’t notice him, his chest hurting and his face burning with embarrassment. He had been so good, had pushed aside his past and tried to forget about everything but if something as simple as a servant telling Ryan about his day was enough to send him back how could he possibly go the rest of his life without them?

When Ray refused to come out from his sanctuary Ryan got up and went back to work, not actually seeing him again until just before dinner. Ryan was changing his attire to something a little more formal, and Ray’s always hungry stomach was beckoning him to follow after him. So he pushed the blankets aside and sat up, rubbing his eyes when the torches seemed a little too bright compared to the darkness he’d just spent the day surrounded in.

‘I’m guessing you’re not coming with me tonight?’ Ryan asked casually, not bringing up that morning.

Ray got up and went for his regular outfit, always cleaned and waiting for him on the bedside table next to the fruit bowl. ‘I am, yeah. Sorry about…’ Ryan held up his hand to silence him, waiting patiently as he got dressed. At dinner Ray didn’t speak and Ryan shot a glare at anyone who dared say anything his way.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gunna lie, this chapter is depressing as fuck :V nonetheless I hope you enjoy <3

Another week went by before Ray found himself brave enough to bring up his friends, the depression kissed away and his emotions rather stable for once. Ryan was at his desk going over the notes from his last meeting, having to fix up the newest tax decree due to his trading conditions with another neighbouring kingdom. Ray watched him a while before clearing his throat, Ryan acknowledging that he wanted to speak and nodding his head his way slightly.

‘My king,’ Ray started, knowing that whenever he used the title instead of Ryan’s name things seemed to lean more his way, ‘I’ve been thinking a lot about my friends lately.’

‘I’ve noticed,’ was all Ryan said, and Ray couldn’t tell if the way he said it was good or bad.

‘Well, I was wondering if I could see them. Just for a little bit, to know they’re doing okay. I won’t let anyone else see me, and I won’t try to escape. You can send as many guards with me as you want, I just need to be reassured that they’re surviving without me.’ Ray played with the sheet on his lap, Ryan writing in silence for a moment before putting one scroll away and pulling out a book to consult.

‘You can’t,’ he replied, Ray’s small yet hopeful smile falling.

‘What? What do you mean I can’t?’ Ray got to his feet, his breathing started to quicken.

‘I mean you can’t. You can’t go out and you can’t see them, that’s an order,’ Ryan said, shutting the book a little harder than necessary and opening up a fresh scroll.

‘But _why_? I’ve done everything you asked haven’t I? I’ve had dinner with you pretty much every night, I’ve put up with those jackasses you constantly invite over for reasons I can’t grasp, I laid with you every night and let you take my body from Day One, I became your goddamn _pet_ for God’s sake, I’ve done every fucking thing you told me to so why can’t I see my friends?’

‘Because they were put to death long ago.’

Ray froze, his entire body going cold. He tried to take a breath but couldn’t, his eyes wide in disbelief. Ryan didn’t even look up, writing down some more gibberish that would make his people miserable, but right now that didn’t matter. He took a staggering step forward before stopping, his legs threatening to give out as Ryan’s words repeated themselves over and over in his head.

‘…What? But you said… you said they were cast out, that they were living out there on their own…’ Ryan still didn’t look at him even as Ray started to hyperventilate, his legs moving on their own to keep him from collapsing. He paced the room, Ryan just writing away as he ran his hands through his hair and tried to wrap his head around the thought of his friends, his _family_ , dead because of him. ‘Oh god, how could you?’

‘I didn’t want to risk them attempting to steal you away from me, so I put a price on their heads and had them hunted down and killed the day after you pledged your life to me,’ Ryan said simply, a bitter laugh bursting from Ray’s mouth as his pace quickened.

‘I give myself to you and this is what you do. And what if I hadn’t? Would you have killed them in front of me, or thrown them all in that damn Hole?’ He couldn’t believe his ears and he felt like he would surely go insane if he pictured it. His fix couldn’t get rid of this memory, the guilt piling up until he saw a gleam and his eyes shone wild with rage.

Ryan finally turned his attention to him when he heard the sound of scraping steel, and before he could stand or fully take in the image before him Ray had a knife pressed to his throat. Ryan could tell that all Ray could see was red, his expression mirroring his own when he found out about Edgar, but he knew Ray, knew he wouldn’t be able to kill him no matter how angry he was. He _needed_ him, he was trained too well by now and would be unable to bite the hand that fed him, but when he laughed and Ray pressed the blade against his jugular it sparked his interest.

His laugh faltered when Ray narrowed his eyes, but Ryan wasn’t afraid, not in the least. ‘I’m sick of you, Ryan. I’m sick of the way you’re treating my people and I’m fucking sick of turning a blind eye to it.’ Ray was shaking with rage, Ryan watching with calm eyes as Ray blinked away frustrated tears. ‘I put up with everything to save my own life, and I’ve been so fucking stupid to think that as long as I stayed with you that everything would be okay, but it’s not, it’s fucking not and this is where I draw the line.’ He tilted the blade into Ryan’s skin, feeling him swallow as he steadied his hand. ‘If I can’t kill you, and save my people like I should’ve when it began, then I’m going to kill myself.’

Ray didn’t expect Ryan to stand then, grabbing his wrist roughly and forcing him to keep the knife pressed to his neck. ‘Kill me, then. If you think you can do this, if you think you can rule your kingdom again after everything you let them go through, then do it. You’ve let me rule long enough, you clearly aren’t happy with what I’ve done, so take back the crown and fix everything. Or can you?’ Ray swallowed and his grip faltered as Ryan squeezed his wrist tighter and forced him to nick his skin. Ray’s eyes followed the small trail of blood that ran down his neck and caught on his clothes, looking back up at Ryan with a new fear when he couldn’t bring himself to move.

He wanted to kill him, he wanted to do it so bad that he felt like he may explode if he couldn’t will himself to move. He wanted it more than anything but he just couldn’t, and as soon as Ryan saw this he grabbed the knife from him and threw it so hard to the floor that the blade stuck into the stone, keeping it upright beside them. Ray started to step back, Ryan glaring at him and making him trip over his own feet when he couldn’t move fast enough.

‘ _Stop me_ , Ray. Take back your crown and wear it with pride instead of the false one you wear to mock yourself. Do _something_ to prove that you were once the king and that you deserve to rule this kingdom once more,’ Ryan growled, Ray’s back hitting the bedpost and stopping him. Ryan towered over him, intimidating and fear-inducing and everything Ray wasn’t and had never been as a king, and knowing that he held more power over him than Ray ever would over his own kingdom pushed aside the fear.

He grabbed Ryan by the coat and pulled him forward with all his strength, crashing their lips together and taking charge. Ryan allowed himself to be guided to the bed and onto his back, Ray sitting on his legs as he looked down on him in disgust.

‘Strip. _Now_ ,’ he ordered, Ryan sitting up enough to start unbuttoning his coat. Ray lost his patience quickly, muttering to himself as his fingers worked. ‘This belonged to my father…’ he hissed, taking off the article of clothing and waistcoat, breaking the buttons on his shirt in an attempt to get it off faster.

‘And that was _my_ father’s,’ Ryan mused, Ray growling for him to shut up as he looked at his bare upper body. He looked down at the clothes in his hands and around him, picking up his cloak and running his fingers over it.

‘This was made just for me,’ he whispered, his expression hardening as he threw everything onto the ground and pushed Ryan down into the mattress by the shoulders. He unbuckled the belt keeping up Ryan’s kilt, almost tearing it in half to get it off faster, hating how he had been the one to give it to him on Ryan’s first anniversary of working for him. With Ryan undressed beneath him he stripped down himself, resting his hands on Ryan’s chest and taking in his unmarked skin.

He wasn’t allowed to touch Ryan like he was touched, and so he felt his hands burn as they rested on his flesh, darkened by the sun and untainted by scratches and bites to match his own. He wanted to ruin him like Ryan had ruined him, so he dug his nails into his flesh and dragged them down to his waist, Ryan grinning when the red appeared and followed his hands. Ray ran his hands over Ryan’s stomach and grabbed onto his hips, grinding against him and trying to get him to react, but Ryan was a stronger man than Ray and could control his desire.

Ray was taken aback when Ryan had the nerve to reach for him, to try and take him into his hand and help him along, Ray snapping at him not to touch him. Ryan held his hands up in defense before putting them behind his head, getting comfortable as Ray glared him down. God he hated him so much; how dare he look at him with such an expression of amusement, how dare he enjoy this and treat it like every other night.

Ray breathed heavily as he reached between them, taking himself in hand and lifting himself up on his legs high enough for Ryan to clearly see. He panted as he sped up his movements, not ashamed from the many nights of getting off for Ryan’s enjoyment and able to push aside any growing feelings of anything resembling shyness. He bucked into his hand and bit back his moans, Ryan’s eyes trained solely on him as Ray fell forward, his muscles spasming as he worked himself over the edge.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to fuck Ryan, there was no doubt about that, so when he covered Ryan’s stomach and chest with streams of white he sighed contentedly. Ryan smirked at the mess and made to sit up, Ray breathlessly holding him back down; it was then Ryan noticed that Ray was still touching himself, keeping himself hard despite his orgasm. Ray reached over for the always waiting bottle of oil, putting a generous amount on his fingers as he placed the bottle within reach and began to stretch himself.

‘Oh _fuck_ -’ Ray groaned as he found his prostate, brushing against it as he prepared himself, Ryan’s smirk melting into an expression of pure, shocked lust as Ray fucked himself on top of him. Ray deemed himself ready and grabbed the bottle again, coating Ryan’s dick and raising himself up, Ray holding his breath, not noticing as Ryan did too. He lowered himself onto him agonizingly slow until he was filled, Ryan’s hands coming from behind his head to find their place on Ray’s hips. ‘ _Don’t touch me_ ,’ Ray hissed, Ryan hesitating before deciding to grab onto the blankets instead.

Ray braced his hands on Ryan’s chest as he began to move, using all his strength to keep his legs from giving out as he started fuck himself to a second orgasm. This time he didn’t hold back any sounds as he moved, Ryan’s hands itching to touch him, to press bruises into his skin under his fingertips, but he gripped the blankets tightly instead, following Ray’s order. Ray moved until he felt his body shaking and knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it up, and when he felt his legs weaken to the point where he could barely lift himself up he knew it would be over soon.

When he fell onto Ryan with a cry and couldn’t move himself again Ryan took charge, Ray trying to hold him down, to prove that he could do it because he wanted to so bad, but Ryan had had enough. Ray pleaded for Ryan to stop, that he could finish, but Ryan ignored him, flipping them around until Ray was on his back like always. He scratched down his chest to match what Ray had done to him, Ray grabbing onto his wrists only to have Ryan pull away. He grabbed onto Ray’s hair and tugged his head back until his mouth fell open, inserting two fingers and telling him, ‘ _Suck_ ,’ Ray closing his mouth over the digits and doing just so.

Ryan finished inside of Ray, not even touching his dick and fucking him until he came a second time, Ray crying out as he spasmed with release and fell still. Ryan looked down on Ray with the same disgust Ray had looked at him with, Ray not meeting his eyes as they separated. ‘You don’t deserve to be king,’ Ryan told him, Ray clutching the blankets tightly to his chest and feeling empty. Ryan got to his feet and gathered up some clean clothes, leaving his previous outfit where it lay. He made sure to pick up the cloak however, making sure Ray saw as he put it back on and left the room.

Ray was certain he had never cried harder before in his life as he lay alone that night.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ray decides he's had enough and it's time to move on. This is a heavy chapter, hope you guys enjoy <3

Ray did nothing but stay in bed over the next few days, Ryan having someone else bring him his lunch and eventually dinner instead of doing it himself. He knew not to ask Ray to join him at the table and didn’t even bother to help him feel better. He kept his opinion about him to himself and let him do what he wanted, although at night he found it harder and harder to sleep with him until he would just crawl into bed without doing anything.

Sometimes Ray would move closer to him, Ryan putting his arm around him and keeping him close, but that was as far as they’d go.

Ryan was a little surprised when his guests asked where Ray was when five days went by without him joining them, Ryan saying that he was sick and leaving it at that. No one wished him well, but no one wished that he get worse either. Ryan whispered to Ray about it that night, Ray opening his mouth to say something but instead turning around to bury his head in Ryan’s chest; he had never done that before, and it startled Ryan.

He didn’t think that their night together would affect Ray as much as it did until the day he came back to the room to grab a potion, Ray nowhere to be found. In a panic he asked the guard if he’d left, getting a no as an answer before nearly tearing the room apart in his search for him. He couldn’t have jumped out the window with the bars still in place, and there was no blood trail to follow, so there was a chance that he was still alive, but where was he?

He had completely forgotten about The Hole until he saw the way the blankets were hanging off the mattress, half of them hidden under the bed. He flipped the switch and walked down, calling out Ray’s name and seeing a figure huddled on the floor at the end of the hall. There Ray lay, wrapped in a blanket and staring blankly at the corner. He didn’t acknowledge Ryan’s presence until he was standing completely in the circle of light, his eyes, red with exhaustion and from crying, glancing over to him briefly before he was looking at the corner again.

‘You were right, Ryan. I don’t deserve to be king. I never did,’ he murmured weakly, tears threatening to fall again. He let them do just so, not caring if Ryan saw him and thought him pathetic or not.

Ryan left without saying a word. Ray stayed down there the entire night.

It was past lunch when Ray resurfaced to the room, looking like he hadn’t slept a wink and shaking non-stop, goosebumps refusing to leave his skin even when he tried to warm himself up. He wordlessly thanked Ryan for giving him space, getting dressed when Ryan stepped into the room to get ready for dinner. Ryan admired Ray without him knowing, seeing how his older marks had healed and that his skin was almost pristine once more.

It worried him later when the thought of spoiling him anew never once crossed his mind.

Ray was silent at dinner, holding back and not eating as much as he wanted to, every guest looking his way but none letting on that they really saw him. With their main source of entertainment pretty much nonexistent dinner was very quiet that night, Ray excusing himself before dessert to head back. A few people watched him walk away, and Ray didn’t even need a guard to escort him; everyone knew he wasn’t about to run, and where would he go if he did? He had nothing anymore, nothing but Ryan.

Ryan found Ray sitting on the floor with his back to the bed, his rose crown in his hands and his eyes not looking away from it; he barely even blinked when Ryan walked in. Ryan began to undress, hanging up his cloak and setting down his crown in its glass case on his desk. He turned back to Ray when he heard a soft noise, Ray’s mouth open like he had tried to speak but physically couldn’t.

It was silent, and then: ‘Can I just go back into The Hole for the rest of my life and die?’

Ray’s voice was so quiet Ryan had to strain to hear him, and as he gazed down on him it was like he was staring at someone completely different. This wasn’t Ray, this wasn’t a dethroned king or even a broken man. This was an animal, waiting for the slaughterhouse and wanting it to just be over and done with already. It was pitiful, but Ryan didn’t show any remorse. He just walked over and stood in front of him, his own voice low and serious as he spoke.

‘If you’re ready to truly choose death, then I shall have it arranged,’ he said, the silence cold and unforgiving as Ray finally looked at him. He didn’t speak but still got his answer across loud and clear, Ryan giving a small sigh before heading over to the wardrobe. Ray closed his eyes and listened to the sound of him rustling around for his dressing gown, the new petals feeling brittle against his fingertips. ‘Ray, come here.’

Ray numbly got to his feet, his crown still in his hand as he tiredly opened his eyes and turned to face Ryan. A small gasp left his lips as he dropped his crown and stepped around the bed towards him, his hand reaching out to touch gingerly what Ryan held, like if he dared press too hard the clothing would turn to dust.

Ryan held Ray’s royal attire, folded and waiting for him ever since he had been stripped of his true crown. Ray looked to Ryan for an answer, wanting to know why Ryan had kept his clothes this whole time, why he was giving them back now that he had accepted death. ‘You’re going to need them for tomorrow,’ was all Ryan said, Ray frowning sadly when it started to sink in that he was going to die; he had asked for it and he didn’t want to fight it anymore.

Ray carefully took the outfit in his hands, closing his eyes and opening them to see his reflection in his mirror staring back instead of Ryan. His room was the way it always was, with the window open and letting in a breeze, the sounds of birds chirping and people bustling about outside cheerfully as they went along with their day. Ray looked down at the clothes and smiled even though he was afraid, knowing that today would be the day he wore them for the first time, knowing that as soon as he stepped out of his bedroom doors he would be brought outside and crowned king.

He closed his eyes again and just breathed, the fresh air fading away and the room growing darker, his eyebrows furrowing as he heard the sound of another’s breathing join in his own, and then he was back in the present and the mirror was gone and all there was was Ryan and his cold blue eyes meeting his own. Ray’s chest ached but he didn’t cry, not again, Ryan waiting a beat before taking the clothes back and setting them down on the chest at the end of the bed. Ray let him do it, Ryan taking his hands in his own and leading him to the bed.

Ray was laid down, Ryan taking his glasses and setting them aside safely. He touched Ray like he was made of porcelain, leaning down to run his fingers through his hair and cup his jaw, tilting his head up so that he could kiss him, Ray kissing back. It had been an unspoken rule of theirs that they never kissed, and apart from their own fights for dominance they hadn’t, so to feel Ryan’s tongue lick at Ray’s lips to beg for entry instead of forcing him to kiss him was a whole new experience.

Ray let his hands wander up to Ryan’s shoulders and wrap around his neck, keeping him close and grabbing onto the fabric of his waistcoat. Ryan undressed Ray with such care that it was unlike him, the usual roughness that Ray had grown to know so well not present in his touches or actions at all. Instead of biting his skin Ryan left kisses, instead of scratching him Ryan lightly brushed his fingertips to stimulate Ray, instead of his low voice telling Ray how much he wanted fuck him he whispered praise, called him beautiful and told him how much more he was to him than just a pet.

Ray moaned in a way he hadn’t before, his voice soft and needy but in a different way than the other nights. This was more than just being together, was more than Ryan touching him and making him forget his past. Ray was well aware of his surroundings and what was going to happen, but for once it didn’t matter. He forgot because he was concentrating solely on breathing Ryan’s air and tasting his noises, not because he wanted to.

When Ryan undressed him completely he didn’t bare his body to be a tease. When Ryan undressed himself he didn’t stare and act like he had won and was about to get what he wanted. When Ryan sat back and started to stroke himself to hardness he stopped him, getting to his hands and knees and gently pushing Ryan back further so he could lean down and stroke him himself.

It was another unspoken rule of theirs that Ray’s mouth was off limits, Ryan’s goal of owning it as well as his body falling to the wayside once Ray began to beg to be touched. So when Ray took a breath and licked a stripe up the underside of his dick before taking the head into his mouth Ryan couldn’t help but gasp in surprise and pleasure. Ray had no idea what he was doing but he wanted to please Ryan, taking as much as he could and circling his tongue around him, his hand covering what his mouth couldn’t.

Ryan breathed out more praise, his hand tangling itself in Ray’s hair, although he didn’t purposely try to hurt him if a jolt of pleasure made him twitch. Every reaction Ryan made only convinced Ray more and more that he was doing a good job, his hips unconsciously thrusting into the sheets when Ryan’s moans started to get to him. He only stopped when a particularly hard tug tried to pull him off, Ryan hissing that he was close.

‘I want to taste you,’ Ray said almost to himself, Ryan letting go of his hair as Ray finished him off. He didn’t waste a single drop, swallowing and licking his lips, Ryan panting in front of him as he watched his tongue dart out to catch a stray line as it trailed down his chin. He looked up to Ryan for approval, Ryan bringing Ray up to kiss him deeply, laying him back down and reaching for the almost empty bottle.

Ryan was gentle as he prepared Ray, didn’t tease him like before and let him get properly adjusted instead of rushing into things like they always did. He took it slow, pulling Ray onto his lap and kissing him as he began to move, guiding Ray’s hips and letting him go as fast or as hard as he wanted. They ended up with Ryan on his back and Ray lying on top of him, not dissimilar to their last night together, only this time Ray let Ryan take control.

It was passionate and intimate, both of them coming around the same time, Ray realizing once Ryan had pulled the covers over them that they had made love for the first time instead of just fucking. Ryan wrapped his arm around Ray’s waist like he always did, holding him close and kissing the back of his head. Ray frowned in confusion as he pulled the blankets up to his chin, his hand letting go of the fabric to rest on top of Ryan’s hand where it lay against his stomach.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Ray's last day in the kingdom, how do you think it will end?  
> Huge thanks to everyone reading this fic, thank you so much for joining me as I got to relive my first chaptered RT fic. The chapter count has been fluctuating a lot because I forgot to take care of it when I first started, but this is indeed the final chapter. See you next month for the next fic <3

Ray was up with the sun the next morning, Ryan waking up to find him dressed in his kingly attire and staring at himself in the mirror. He walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder, noticing that Ray was holding his cloak. He handed it to Ryan and walked over to the window, staring past the bars to watch the sunrise.

The day went by quicker than Ray expected, organizing Ryan’s things and standing up straight when a guard came to escort him to dinner. When the man saw Ray standing there in his outfit, an air about him that radiated royalty he felt the need to bow, Ray giving him a curt nod before following him out the door. As they walked through the halls everyone stopped and stared, some even dropping to a knee when he approached. The guard opened the door for Ray and Ryan stood as always, only this time everyone stood as well, even the crueler guests who always were the first to insult him.

When Ray reached the end of the table Ryan pushed back his chair and kneeled, Ray looking down on him as Ryan offered his seat with a bow and took Ray’s normal chair. Ray sat, the staff coming over to serve him first. Still Ray denied the wine, Ryan doing so as well, not a single person daring to speak to him out of fear and respect even though he didn’t even wear his false crown.

Ray didn’t eat much, not because he knew it would be a waste considering, but because he wasn’t hungry for once. When dinner was over the guests were escorted outside, Ryan and Ray going last. The sun was almost set and a crowd had gathered outside the gate, word getting out that someone would be executed that day getting around fast. Before they stepped outside Ryan placed Ray’s rose crown on his head, kissing his forehead and nodding for the doors to be opened. When the people saw Ray walk out beside Ryan an explosion of sound erupted around them, the guards drawing their swords as they opened the gates.

Ray calmly walked beside Ryan as they headed for the executioner’s stand in the middle of town, the rain unable to wash away the blood from those killed before him; Ray felt his fists clench when he thought about the blood possibly belonging to someone he cared about. His people yelled and screamed, trying to push past the guards to get to their king to try and get him somewhere safe, somewhere Ryan couldn’t get to him. They tried with all their might but the guards all wore diamond armour, not budging as they held their ground and Ray stepped onto the platform.

‘Please don’t kill my king! Take me instead!’ someone shouted from the crowd, almost everyone joining in, offering their life in Ray’s stead. Ryan motioned to the nearest guard to tell the others to use force to silence those who came too close. Ray saw this and held up his hand, everyone, even the guards, stopping completely. A silence fell over the crowd, Ray bringing his hands to his chest and looking upon the people who still cared so dearly for him even though he’d let such awful things happen to them.

‘I thank you all for wishing to save me, but I don’t deserve to be saved,’ he said calmly, a woman yelling that he did, that he was their rightful king. A chorus of agreement broke out, the guards getting ready to strike when Ray’s voice rang out above them all, the other voices dying down. ‘No! I don’t, I’m so sorry but I don’t. I’ve been selfish, I’ve let such terrible things occur and did nothing to stop them. I’m no longer fit to be your king, and to live amoung you would be a fate too kind for me.’ He sighed and Ryan shifted closer to him, waiting for him to finish; only he could see that his hands were shaking. ‘To die tonight is the only punishment that comes close to what I truly deserve, and even now it’s the coward’s way out.’

The executioner stepped up to him, Ray swallowing heavily as he looked down on the chopping block and unsteadily walking over to it. He could hear the sobs around him and he closed his eyes, whispering that he was sorry before getting to his knees. He placed his hands behind his back as he rested his throat against the block, the cries of his people echoing in his head and they begged and pleaded for Ray to consider, for Ryan to let him live.

Ray opened his eyes partially to watch the sun set, his heart pounding as he thought about his friends and how he’d see them soon, closing them again when he heard the executioner draw his sword. He waited for the end as calmly as he could, his breathing quickening as time drew on and nothing happened, wondering if Ryan would be the one to take his life when he heard someone let out a gurgled sound of surprise from beside him followed by a thud. Ray wondered what had happened when he heard a familiar shout, his mouth falling ajar and his eyes snapping open.

Ray looked to his left and saw the executioner dead on the ground, an arrow piercing his uniform and sticking out of his chest. He could hear Ryan backing away from him, his voice getting louder as he drew his own sword in anticipation. Ray looked up when he heard a sound like a stampede, the footsteps of many coming across like thunder as he realized what was happening. The crowd was parting, the guards shifting in their places as a group of four people ran forward, weapons drawn and their voices rising above everyone else’s.

‘No…’ Ray heard Ryan say to himself, and then he was sitting up straight, his hands resting on the block to keep himself steady as arrows took down everyone near him, a diamond sword catching the light as it clashed with the guards’, an axe flying through the air and killing the man that snuck up behind Ray to kill him before he lost the chance.

Ray watched as Michael, Geoff, Gavin, and Jack tore through the crowd, killing anyone who got in their way, the villagers running for their homes before any harm came to them. Ray was frozen in shock, his head turning painfully to look back at Ryan as he glared at the four, his hand tightening over the handle of his sword. He stayed where he was until Michael and Geoff jumped onto the platform, the two running past Ray and heading straight for Ryan. Finally Ryan moved, shooting Ray a glance before retreating back into the castle, the remaining guards following him and locking the gates.

‘You fucking coward!’ Michael yelled, slashing his sword against the gate and creating such a sharp clang that everyone around him stopped to hold their ears. Gavin ran up to Ray, Jack cutting down anyone who came too close to them.

‘Ray! Are you okay, can you walk?’ Gavin asked hurriedly, holding out a hand for Ray to take. Ray just nodded, Gavin shouting to the others that he had him before turning back to him. ‘Come with us, we’ll take you somewhere safe,’ was all he said, and then they were all together and running towards the kingdom gates.

Ray followed silently after them, Gavin’s hand holding onto his own to make sure they didn’t lose him, Jack and Michael closing the gates behind them as they left the kingdom entirely and headed off the path and into the neighbouring forest. They ran well after the sun had set, Geoff pulling out a torch and leading the way to a location they must’ve all known well enough because they never even once consulted a map despite being surrounded by nothing but trees.

Ray finally found his landmark as they approached a mountain he had only seen in the distance from his bedroom window, Geoff making sure they were all there before uncovering a hidden lever and triggering a redstone door right in the mountainside. Everyone entered and piled inside, Geoff putting out the torch now that they were in a nice, bright room. They seemed to be in a small house carved right into the mountain, probably Jack’s work with how talented he was with a pickaxe.

Ray looked around and saw that they had been there a while, all their old possessions lining the wall and filling several chests, a furnace in a row of four cooking some pork to his right. Gavin was putting his bow and arrows away, Michael setting his sword down on his bed before running back into the kitchen area, Jack tending to the food while Geoff led Ray over to the table. In an instant he was being fussed over, Gavin filling a bowl with water to wash Ray’s feet with, Michael grabbing some spare clothes for Ray to wear as to not soil his royal garments, and Jack covering the table with plates and plates of food.

‘Listen, guys, you really don’t have to do all this,’ Ray muttered, tucking his wet feet under his chair to stop Gavin, pulling on his own shirt so Michael would have to quit, Jack not listening and making Ray a plate anyway. ‘I’m not the king anymore, you don’t have to treat me like one.’

‘Actually we do, Ray, because it doesn’t matter what that bastard Ryan says; you’re still the king to us,’ Michael said, tossing Ray a jacket because he knew he was cold before sitting down next to him.

‘A lot of people still consider you their king if you haven’t noticed,’ Geoff piped up, pulling Gavin off the floor with a squawk that Ray had missed way too much, ‘but judging by the surprised look on your face when you saw us, you haven’t noticed a lot of things.’

‘Ryan told me that you were dead,’ Ray said, his voice cracking because it was starting to sink in that they were together again and that he wasn’t trapped in that place anymore, that he was away from Ryan and his influence.

‘Yeah, he’d like that wouldn’t he?’ Michael said bitterly as he bit into dinner, Jack finally sitting down with them now that everything was calm again.

‘He did try to have us killed, but as soon as we were thrown out of the castle we booked it here and began to work on this place.’ Geoff gestured to the room. ‘We weren’t going to wait around for that psychopath to decide that having us alive would be a liability. It’s been close, but no one knows that we’re out here, so as long as you stay inside you’ll be safe from him.’

Ray clenched his fists into his coat, knowing that this was a better place and that he’d rather be with them than Ryan but still, he was a prisoner again.

‘I’ve been sneaking into town to see if there’s anyone who’ll help us out,’ Gavin said suddenly, snapping Ray from his thoughts. ‘Pretty much everyone still wants you to take up the crown again, but they’re all too afraid of Ryan to actually do anything, the smegpots.’

‘It’s the death sentence they’re afraid of, Gavin. Once Ryan set it in effect everyone’s been afraid of their own shadows, thinking that if they do anything wrong he’ll come after them, which is actually kinda true,’ Jack interrupted, the others nodding in agreement.

‘Well, if all goes according to plan then they won’t have to worry about it anymore.’ Ray looked to Geoff with wide eyes, hoping that he didn’t mean what he thought he meant. ‘We’re going to take the castle back by force, and get the crown back, Ray. As soon as Gavin heard that you were going to be executed we knew we had to get you immediately, but we were going to wait until we struck, and I can’t tell you enough how sorry we are for how long we’ve taken. We couldn’t risk Ryan hurting you if we moved or if he heard wind of our attack and stopped us before we had a chance. But now you’re here and you’ll help us and be the king again, right?’

There it was. Ray placed his hands on the table and stood, his expression serious as he looked around at all of them. ‘I don’t know if you guys caught my little speech back there, but I was serious when I said that I don’t deserve to be king. You can pick someone else to do it, but I’m done,’ he said, Gavin raising his voice to object when Ray cut him off. ‘ _No_. During my time with Ryan I let him do a lot of fucked up things, and just now is the regret starting to return. You may all still remember me as that fun-loving goofball, but things have changed, _I’ve_ changed. I fucked everything up and I can only try to help fix them, but I can’t be your king anymore.’

The others exchanged glances, Ray about to find a bedroom or dig himself a new Hole to crawl into when Geoff raised his voice, his face contorted with confusion. ‘I knew something must’ve happened back there when you accepted your own death, but listen to me, Ray; just because you’ve changed doesn’t mean that you’re still not the person we all know. It must’ve been bad if you’ve made up your mind about this, and none of us will pressure you into wearing the crown again, but please say you’ll help us.’

‘You know Ryan the best, you spent so much time around him even before he lost his mind, we could really use some things that you learned against him,’ Michael spoke up, Gavin and Jack nodding, Geoff now standing as well.

‘You don’t have to be the king, we’ll find someone else to wear the crown in your place, one of us even if you want. You won’t even need to fight him; just help us take back our home and then everything will be fine again.’ Geoff’s eyes were sincere, and Ray knew that time could not change Geoff’s heart no matter what, so he reluctantly sighed and nodded, sitting back down as everyone let out a cheer of victory.

‘But if Ray’s not gunna be king, who will?’ Gavin asked, the room falling silent once more.

‘I’ll fight, but I’d prefer not to kill Ryan,’ Jack said first, Gavin agreeing.

‘Yeah, I’ll fight too but I don’t wanna be the king anytime soon,’ he said, Ray giving him a quick look.

‘I’ll kill Ryan in honour of my king, but I’m not ready to become one myself. Maybe in the future if it came to it, but not right now,’ Michael muttered, everyone’s eyes turning to Geoff, who met them all with a confused frown.

‘…What?’

‘Why don’t you be the new king, Geoff?’ Gavin said excitedly, Geoff’s eyes going wide with surprise.

‘You gotta be kidding me, how would I be a good king? I can barely control you idiots, there’s no way I’d be able to control an entire kingdom!’ he said in exasperation, Jack thinking about it for a second before agreeing with Gavin.

‘You’ve been serving Ray’s family since before he was born, and you _were_ head of the castle before Ryan came along, so if anyone’s fit enough to do it, you are,’ he said calmly, Geoff sputtering because they seriously thought he, the drunkard who bossed everyone around, would make a good king.

‘You guys are all insane. When the kingdom ends up burning down don’t come running to me because it’ll be your fault,’ he sighed, Ray smiling a little because he also had faith in Geoff restoring the kingdom to its former glory in his stead. ‘And what about my heir? Am I dumping it on one of you?’

‘I already said I’d do it, no need to go over this again,’ Michael smirked, Gavin making unintelligible noises Michael’s way roughly translating to him being proud of his princely boi. Ray was now fully smiling, picking up his glass and getting ready to take a drink before Geoff was clearing his throat.

‘Well, now that we’ve got that all settled, how about a toast to Ray?’ Ray shook his head, raising his glass high and offering a toast of his own.

‘How about a toast to Geoff, the new king,’ he suggested, the others drinking in Geoff’s name and laughing when he looked flattered and tried to hide it.

They all ate in great spirits, the meal not as fancy as the ones Ray had at the castle but somehow tasting better than anything he’d been served before. He laughed until he cried, not realizing exactly how much he’d really missed them until Michael began to scream at Gavin for spilling his drink all over the table, Gavin begging for forgiveness and trying to cover his food as Michael tossed his drink at him. When Gavin tried to pour the remains of his drink on Geoff he had found himself soaked and on the floor, everyone roaring with laughter.

It was an hour after dinner before everyone finally decided to go to bed, Michael picking up his sword and stepping outside to go on patrol, Gavin leading Ray to the bedroom and giving him the final free bed. Everyone collapsed onto their own bed, Gavin stealing Michael’s blanket before passing out, Ray getting under the covers and sinking into the wool-filled mattress. It was comfy, but not as nice as his own bed, or Ryan’s if he were to be honest, but they weren’t going to have beds like that out here.

Geoff was the last one up, putting out the torch in the room and plunging them into near darkness, the only light source that of the torch from the hallway. Ray rolled onto his side and wrapped himself up with his blankets, his mind racing now that everything had calmed down. By sunrise tomorrow he would start his new life, one where he wasn’t a king or a pet, but his own man who could make his own decisions.

Truthfully, it scared him senseless to think about it, but then he reminded himself that if it weren’t for his friends he would be dead and wouldn’t still be there, ready to get Ryan back for all he’d done.

At thinking about Ryan he closed his eyes tightly, knowing that he never wanted to get back what he had, but unable to deny the fact that he couldn’t help but miss the arm that would drape over his waist and hold him close to the body beside him.


End file.
